


Supernatural at Hogwarts

by Writer_Lethogica



Series: Supernatural at Hogwarts [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Supernatural
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-23
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-02-18 12:58:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 26
Words: 85,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2349242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writer_Lethogica/pseuds/Writer_Lethogica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:</p>
<p>http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts</p>
<p>And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Intro

**Author's Note:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. Here it is on Tumblr:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80665235573/spn-at-hogwarts-an-intro
> 
> I will be posting a chapter of this per day or few day or so. Enjoy!

_**SPN at Hogwarts: An Intro** _

 

Dean Winchester sat on the steps of Bobby’s old porch, destined for lands unknown. For years, his father John had been dragging he and his brother around the world, searching for the wizard who killed their mother all those years ago. However, Dean (after joining forces with Bobby and Ellen from the pub in town near Bobby’s house and Auror Mills from two houses down from Bobby’s) was able to convince his father that Sammy should at least go to a proper school. Dean didn’t know that the adults that sided with him would be able to get his father to let  _him_ go to a proper school after so many years of the homeschooling he was at least able to get from Bobby.

“Are you just going to sit on your ass all day or what?”

Dean glanced up to see Bobby looking down at him.

“Sammy’s finishing up his packing. We’ll probably be heading over to Ellen’s in a few minutes. You sure you don’t want breakfast?” asked Bobby.

Dean shook his head.

“Nah, I’m not hungry,” Dean said, “Besides, you know how I am about trains.”

“Yeah, don’t want you throwing up on the ride up there, I suppose,” said Bobby. Dean grumbled but it wasn’t really important. “Just make sure to meet up with us at Jody’s house in an hour, okay?”

Dean nodded.

Auror Jody Mills ran a foster home for witches and wizards who needed a place to stay. People like Charlie Bradbury, Garth Fitzgerald IV, and Benny Lafitte lived there. Well, at least when they weren’t at Hogwarts.

Bobby patted Dean’s head as they heard the creaking of the archaic stairs behind them in the house.

“Come on, Bobby, let’s go! Ellen said she was going to make us pancakes and Jo said she’d tell me a thing or two about what to do and not do during my first year!”

Dean couldn’t help but smile. Sam was rarely that excited for anything.

“You sure you don’t want to come, Dean? I’m sure Jo would have a thing or two to tell you too,” said Sam, grinning.

Dean rolled his eyes. He may be new to this “school” thing, but he didn’t need a Second Year telling him what he should and shouldn’t do. Dean was a sociable person, he’d learn how to adapt quickly.

“I’m fine, Sammy. Just go,” said Dean.

Sam pouted, but left with Bobby.

With no one around the house, Dean was allowed to walk through it one last time. He closed his eyes as he felt every creak in the old home’s boards. He walked upstairs and glanced into Sam’s room.

Sam had slept in the same room as Dean whenever they were at Bobby’s until the day Sammy got his invitation to Hogwarts. That was the day Sam decided he needed his own room, migrating with his handful of belongings into the guest room across the hall from the room the regularly used (though, Sam would occasionally visit Dean in the night to make sure “Dean wasn’t having any nightmares”).

On the plain bed was a suitcase half open with clothes folded neatly inside. Dean smiled at this organization. Only a few months ago was Dean making sure Sam didn’t leave his underwear in the bathroom of some risqué motel room.

Dean walked over to his own room as he finished up his own packing. He honestly didn’t believe that he was actually going to a real school. He gave up on that notion when his father told him “No” years before when Dean himself got his invitation.

Dean faltered for a moment as he picked up the only picture he had left of his mother. His wonderful, muggle mother who somehow found magic in her, graduated top of her class at Hogwarts. The picture was from a muggle camera - It didn’t move like Bobby’s photos of his dead wife nor Jody’s photos of her deceased child and husband. It was just a frozen moment in time, and Dean sort of liked the picture more because of that.

Tenderly, Dean placed the photo in between layers of clothes, just for the added unneeded safety. He zipped his suitcase up and walked into the hallway with it. He glanced to Sam’s room and sighed. He zipped Sam’s suitcase as well, taking both downstairs as he headed towards Jody’s house.

“Dean!”

Dean grinned, putting the suitcases down as he hugged Charlie. She was like the sister he never wanted, but that was fine with Dean.

“You excited about coming to Hogwarts?” asked Charlie, gazing up expectantly.

Dean hesitated. Dean honestly wasn’t sure.

“Come on, Dean,” said Garth, running down to him, “I know you’re nervous now, but I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Garth pulled Dean into a hug, and man, sometimes Dean wished the people around him weren’t such huggers. He felt too tense to be in the hugging sort of mood.

“I’ll try it out,” said Dean, scratching the back of his head, “I’m not sure if this ‘school’ thing will be my slice of pie.”

“You can get any slice of pie if you go, though,” said Benny, walking over and grabbing the suitcases, “Every night.”

Dean grinned.

“I do like the sound of that. Not sure about the work, though,” Dean grumbled as they all headed into the house.

“You’ll do fine, Dean,” said Charlie, “And if you ever need help, I’m always around.”

“Charlie, you’re a year under me, you won’t be able to help,” Dean said.

“Hey, if I’m able to get through the years somehow, I’m sure you will,” said Benny.

Dean nodded.

“You got a point there,” said Dean.

Dean grinned as Benny playfully punched his arm.

“Is Dean here?” asked Auror Mills, walking fast, “There you are! Come on, we need to start heading to the station.”

Auror Mills quickly hugged Dean before she ushered Dean and her foster children into the living room. Bobby, Ellen, Jo, and Sammy were all in there already.

“Hey, Dean!” said Jo, waving, “Are you excited about going to school?”

“I already asked him, Jo,” said Charlie as Jo scrunched her face in disappointment.

“I’m excited,” Dean said, flashing a smile at the younger girl. She smiled back.

“Good,” said Jo, “I’m sure you’ll like it.”

A flash of green came from the fireplace.

“Time to go,” said Auror Mills.

All of them were sent through the flu powder channels, thrown through magic to a muggle train station. They all hurried to the space between 9 and 10.

“Man,” Dean mumbled, “So this really is a thing.”

“Sure is,” said Garth, “And it always makes me queasy when I go through it.”

Dean glanced at Garth.

“Well, I know who I’m not sitting next to on the train,” Dean said, smirking.

“Ha ha,” said Garth, rolling his eyes as he started his descent through magical barrier, “Very funny, Dean.”

9 ¾ was bustling, filled with worried mothers, irked younger siblings, and excited students. A few owls flew in disarray around the platform and  one child’s cat was attacking another’s rat.

“Dean, Sam, come over here for a moment,” said Bobby, moving them away from their crowd.

“What is it?” asked Dean.

“I know it’s not much,” said Bobby, “But I felt like I should get you two something. You have to keep in mind that this is for both of you. You two will have to share the little idjit.”

Dean had an idea of what it was before Bobby even took it out. In a small cage that was once in Bobby’s pocket was the stupidest looking baby owl Dean had ever laid eyes on. He recognized it from the moment he saw it. It was that stupid owl Sam had fallen in love with instantly when he spotted it while passing through Diagon Alley for their school supplies.

“BONES!” exclaimed Sam, grabbing the cage from Bobby.

“Remember - sharing,” said Bobby. Sam nodded, but Dean already knew the owl was always going to be a little bit more Sam’s than his, and Dean was fine with that.

“You two be careful, okay?” said Bobby, “Remember that you can always send me a message if you ever need any help.”

“Don’t worry too much,” Dean told him, “I’m sure we can do fine by ourselves.”

Bobby sighed, nodding.

“Yeah,” said Bobby, “I guess so.”

Bobby quickly hugged them as the train’s whistle blew.

“Now, go on and get out of here,” said Bobby. They said their goodbyes as they got onto the train. Somehow, Jo, Sam, Benny, Garth, Charlie, and Dean were able to snag a compartment of their own.

“This is pretty lucky,” said Garth as the train began to move, “The compartments are usually filled to the brim if we get on this late.”

Suddenly, the whole experience was becoming all too real. Dean was actually going to school. At Hogwarts. Panic spread throughout Dean as he began to really think about it. Was he going to mess up? What if he didn’t get into Griffindor - Would his father ever talk to him if he didn’t get into Griffindor? What if he and Sam were placed in different houses? How was he supposed to protect Sammy if they were placed in different houses? What if Dean can’t keep up with the work? What if his father was right? What if he wasn’t “the school kind of kid”?

“Hey, Dean, are you all right?” asked Charlie worriedly.

Dean glanced around. All of them were giving him worried looks. Dean slapped on a face of ease.

“I’m - I’m fine, really,” said Dean, “I just…I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be back.”

Dean stood up, quickly leaving his friends and brother behind in the compartment, all of them probably even more worried about him. He stumbled over his dress robes, disliking how long they were. They were his father’s old hand-me-down robes from his foster years and they were as unfitting as they were old. They just reminded Dean how he didn’t quite fit in his father’s clothes, fill his shoes.

Dean was so wrapped up in his own problems that he didn’t see where he was going. He ran into someone, stumbling to the ground in awkward incoordination.

Dean groaned, rubbing his head as he glanced up at the guy.

The first thing he noticed was blue. Deep blue eyes that encompassed everything for a moment. Then the hair, a dark mess of tangles that looked like he had fashionably just woken from a deep slumber. His clothes were like Dean’s own: unfitting and hand-me-downs through the generations.

Dean shook his head, thinking he must’ve hit his head harder than he thought. He shouldn’t just keep staring into the dude’s eyes.

The young man merely extended a hand.

“Are you okay?” asked the guy, tilting his head curiously.

“Yeah,” said Dean, feeling more relaxed then he had all week, “Yeah, I think I’m good.”

Dean brushed off some dust.

“You’re new,” said the guy, “We don’t usually get transfers.”

Dean shrugged.

“I guess I’m just special, then,” said Dean, smiling.

The guy smirked.

“Interesting,” said the guy, “I usually know about these things.”

Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Why’s that?” Dean asked.

“Well…My family sort of has a lot of ties with Hogwarts,” said the guy, looking a bit uncomfortable about the subject.

“How?” Dean asked, crossing my arms as I leaned to the side on the train wall, unconsciously edging closer to this stranger.

The guy looked sheepish.

“Well…you’ll see when you get there,” said the guy, “Anyways, I need to find a compartment to sit in.”

“You can sit with me,” Dean said without thinking, “I have a group already with me, but I’m sure we can make room for you.”

For a moment, a genuine smile flashed on this slightly gloomy, apathetic guy.

“Well, uh-”

“Castiel!”

A guy with blonde hair walked over to us.

“Castiel, come on!” said the guy, his arm hooking around Castiel as they walked the opposite direction, leaving Dean alone.

For a moment, Dean stood there, registering what happened. What was Dean doing? Dean sighed, shaking his head as he found his way back to his compartment.

“You weren’t barfing up a storm or something, were you Dean?” asked Sam as Dean sat down next to the window, “You were gone for a long time.”

“Nah,” said Dean, staring out at the farmland they moved past, “I just got lost…”

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	2. The Sorting Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. Here it is on Tumblr:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80850746425/spn-at-hogwarts-the-sorting-hat
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: The Sorting Hat

 

Dean blinked, gazing tensely at the thestrals. He never thought he was going to see one of  _those_ again. At least it wasn’t out in the wild.

“Dean, what are you staring at?” asked Jo, obviously confused. Charlie’s face seemed unsure as whether to smile or frown. Dean thought she must be unsure of whether to be happy Jo had not seen death like she had or disappointed in the blunt and slightly unknowingly painful thing she had asked.

Jo caught herself after she said it, though.

“Oh, you’re staring at - I forget that people can see them,” said Jo, hopping into the carriage next to Garth and Benny.

Dean thought they all must’ve decided to ride along with him to school. Dean could see them nodding to their different friends in other carriages.

“No, it’s fine, Jo,” said Dean, sitting next to Charlie as he stared worriedly at the lake.

“Sam’s going to be fine, Dean,” said Benny, stretching a bit, “All the first years take the boats - it’s tradition.”

“Sam’s not a great swimmer and those robes are pretty thick. I heard there are merpeople in that lake too, and they’re not too kind to students,” said Dean.

Charlie smirked.

“You were the one who stole my  _Hogwarts: A History_ book, weren’t you?” said Charlie.

Dean faltered for a moment, tall, ominous trees now obstructing his peripheral view of the lake. He scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward in his too-big-for-him robes.

“I read it front to back twice to make sure I understood where we were going completely. I couldn’t just let Sammy come some place that could be potentially very dangerous. Or, if there is danger, then I should know how to protect my little brother against it,” said Dean.

“Dean, you have to relax. I know you used to have to protect your brother in those crazy situations your dad put you in, but you don’t have to now. Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the world. Trust me when I say you’re brother is going to be okay,” said Garth.

Garth nodded, keeping eye contact with Dean. Dean didn’t know how Garth, this scrappy looking flag pole of a guy, could be so confident and kind at the same time. It was just one of those nice wonders about life, Dean supposed.

“Yeah,” Dean said, trying to relax, “I hope so.”

The carriage came to a halt, and for a moment, all of them froze. Finally, Dean stood up, ushering all the worried-looking friends out of the carriage.

“Come on, guys, we can’t go to school if we don’t get out of this friggin’ carriage,” said Dean.

Dean stopped and looked up. A castle. It wasn’t as if Dean had never seen a castle before (he lived knowing about magic, there were bound to be a few vampires settled down in Dracula-esque lairs), this was just the largest castle he’d ever seen. The oldest one, that’s for sure. Dean knew the exact measurements of every nook and cranny of this place because of his in-depth reading of that stupid book he stole from Charlie, but reading about something was different than actually seeing it, experiencing it.

“We’re still going to love you, whatever house you get into,” blurted Jo from Dean’s suspiciously silent friends, “You know that, right?”

Dean blinked, glancing down at Jo.

He had almost forgotten about that. The sorting. Dean could feel his stomach turn as he thought about it.

John Winchester didn’t know if he was a muggle-turned-wizard or a halfblooded. His father mysteriously disappeared when he was young and he grew up with his mother in the muggle world. However, when he got his invitation for Hogwarts and eventually was educated there, Dean knew John Winchester was a Griffindor through and through. The hat had instantly said “GRIFFINDOR” the second it touched his head. What would John Winchester, a man who prided himself for being a Griffindor, think if Dean were to not be  _chosen_ for that house?

“What?” said Dean, feeling the blood drain from his face.

“Really, Dean, do you think we care whether or not you’re a Griffindor?” asked Charlie, “I’m a Ravenclaw, Garth’s a Ravenclaw, hell, Benny’s a  _Hufflepuff_.”

Benny raised an eyebrow.

“You make it sound like being a Hufflepuff is both surprising and a bad thing,” said Benny.

Charlie shrugged.

“I’m just saying that Mr. Tall, Bulky, and Muscular wasn’t the person I thought the sorting hat supposedly shouted ‘HUFFLEPUFF’ immediately to was,” said Charlie.

“Well, it did, okay?” Benny said, shaking his head, “Oh, ye of the frigging little faith.”

“Hey, I believe what I see, big guy,” said Charlie, shrugging.

“Not that I don’t like this lively discussion, but I think we better go,” said Garth, “We need to get to our tables so that somebody can get sorted into one.”

Jo nodded.

“Yeah, I kind of wanted to hang out with my friends anyways. See you, losers. Bye, Dean!” said Jo, rushing away to a gaggle of Griffindor girls.

“She totally has a crush on you,” said Charlie.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“Yeah right. Besides, I’m a fifth year. She should be chasing younger tail,” said Dean.

Prefects began to call their houses over, students flooding around Dean as his friends got lost in the midst of goodbyes and the crowd. Dean found himself wandering the halls alone, unsure of where he was. The ceilings were high and looming, arching in almost purposely intimidating manners. The stones seemed cold, Dean’s clothes felt like they fit him even less than they did moments before, and Dean felt as if he should have never come to this archaic place. He didn’t belong. He wasn’t smart. He was probably going to fail out the first semester.

Suddenly, someone bumped into Dean. Dean turned around to see…

“Blue eyes,” mumbled Dean, the words flooding out without his consent. Blue eyes blinked, tilting his head curiously.

 

“Green eyes,” he said in almost a whisper, as if in awe that Dean was actually there and real, and Dean laughed. He guessed they both had pretty striking eyes.

Dean felt like he should have noticed before. That he didn’t know if he and this stranger were standing there for a couple of seconds or a couple of hours. That they were so close that they were basically breathing in each other’s air. That Dean had been standing so close to someone he just met for a moment on a train yet felt more comfortable than he had in  _years_.

And that freaked him out like nothing else.

“Hey. Buddy,” said Dean quietly, a gentleness to his slightly confused and cold tone, “Personal space.”

They stood like that for a couple more minutes.

“Yes,” said the stranger, stepping back, “I apologize.”

Unconsciously, Dean smiled.

“Yeah, uh, no problem,” Dean said.

“Shouldn’t you be in the Great Hall?” asked Blue Eyes, tilting his head.

Dean nodded.

“Yeah, I should. But studying that stupid Hogwarts book from front to back doesn’t seem to give me a good sense of where things actually are around this place,” said Dean, sighing.

Blue Eyes raised an eyebrow.

“You actually  _read that_?” asked Blue Eyes.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“Why is everyone so surprised? I wanted to make sure that this place was safe for my little brother, I wanted to make sure that this place was as good as people said it was for him,” said Dean.

“Is that why you’re coming in so late to Hogwarts?” asked Blue Eyes, “Because you wanted to protect your brother? You know this is just a school, right? It’s not like you’re brother’s getting thrust into some epic war.”

“Ever since I was four, I’ve been taking care of Sammy. I have to make sure he’s fine, always, I promised my dad I would,” said Dean.

Blue Eyes put his hand on Dean’s shoulder.

“Relax. You’re brother will be perfectly safe here. Trust me,” said Blue Eyes and Dean couldn’t help but smile.

“Hopefully.”

Blue Eyes gestured for Dean to come as they began to walk through the halls. Dean began to grow tense, and it seemed Blue Eyes noticed.

“There’s something else you’re worried about besides your brother,” said Blue Eyes.

Dean glanced at the staring man and couldn’t break eye contact.

“I’m not sure if I’m the right fit…here,” said Dean honestly. Dean didn’t know why he was telling this to Blue Eyes.

“I think you will,” said Blue Eyes, a smile flashing on his face for a moment, “If I can fit in here, I doubt anyone can’t.”

Dean smiled back.

“You don’t seem that weird to me,” said Dean. Blue Eyes shook his head.

“You may be the only one who thinks that,” said Blue Eyes.

They stopped in front of the tallest doors Dean had ever seen. Dean began to walk in, but stopped when he noticed the stranger wasn’t walking in with him. Dean turned around to him.

“Not coming in, Blue Eyes?” asked Dean. Blue Eyes shrugged.

“I’m not much for big ceremonies. Good luck with the sorting.”

Before Dean could say anything else, Blue Eyes disappeared into the winding hallways and secret passageways.

Dean walked into the Great Hall.

“Well, seems as though the last student we need to sort has joined us.”

Dean suddenly felt all eyes on him. Dean was used to attention though. Even if he felt awkward as hell, he was pretty good at putting up a face. He walked down the hall without falter, smiling and winking at the people around him. He stopped in front of Professor Chuck Shurley, the current Headmaster of Hogwarts, though, God knows how he got that position.

“Nice to see that you’ve finally joined us,” said Professor Shurley.

“Four years late, but hey, who’s counting?” asked Dean.

Dean could hear a few students snicker behind him.

“Just sit down,” said Professor Shurley.

Dean sat down, facing the hall. He glanced around at the tables. Garth and Charlie were on separate sides of the Ravenclaw table. Benny was sitting at the Hufflepuff table. Dean spotted Jo with her friends at the Griffindor table, and next to her…Sam. Dean sighed in relief. At least Sam was safe from a reason for cold stares if their dad came around.

“HUFFLEPUFF.”

That immediately wiped the smile off of Dean’s face. Dean felt like he was going to throw up. No say in the matter, no way to fight for his side, Dean barely even felt the hat touch his head. Dean turned to Sam in that flash of silence. All Sam could do was stare at Dean, dumbfounded.

There was applause filling the room as Benny walked on over, all smiles as he put his arm around Dean and walked him over to the table. Dean passed Sam, horror stricken that he couldn’t sit down with his little brother, that he didn’t understand why he was placed in a different house. What was his father going to say? What was John going to say when he heard that Dean Winchester, his eldest son, was a  _Hufflepuff_. Not a Griffindor, a  _Hufflepuff_.

“Oh, come on, don’t act like that,” said Benny, sitting Dean down next to him, “You’re going to hurt my feelings, brother.”

“I…I need to go. I’m sorry, Benny, I’ll find you later, but…I need to go. I need some air,” Dean said.

Benny nodded, rubbing Dean’s back before he stood up.

“Meet me near the kitchen corridor when you’re done clearing your mind then,” said Benny.

Dean smirked.

“What, are we grabbing a snack after dinner? Not that I would be opposed to that,” said Dean, stealing a roll from the table.

“Maybe, if you want to - I am friends with the elves around this place - but trust me, it’s best to meet there,” said Benny, finishing some chicken.

Dean nodded.

“Always do,” said Dean, smiling weakly as he walked away from the table.

Dean found a corner of his own as he began to hyperventilate. He felt like he was on a carousel, the world spinning faster and faster. Dean closed his eyes as he sat on the balls of his feet, trying to make his breathing even.

“Hey,” said a familiar voice, “You okay?”

Dean felt like he should be panicking even more now that someone he barely knew has found him in such a vulnerable state, but he felt, well…a bit more relaxed. Dean stood up, collecting himself.

“I just ruined my life and I didn’t even get a say in the matter,” said Dean wiping away the tears from the panic attack as he turned to Blue Eyes.

There was something in those eyes…not just the worry others have been giving him all day, something more than that.

“Talk to me.”

Dean laughed.

“Blue Eyes, I don’t think you want to hear my pity party. You don’t even know me,” said Dean.

Blue Eyes walked closer to him, stepping into that 'personal space’ once more.

“Talk to me.”

Dean couldn’t look away from him. His eyes just kept pulling Dean in. He couldn’t not say something to him. Dean knew what was in those eyes. Honesty.

“I…I got into Hufflepuff,” Dean said, the news feeling more and more real as it was terrifying.

Blue Eyes squinted, confused.

“What’s wrong with that? My friend Meg was a Hufflepuff before she got herself expelled last year,” said Blue Eyes.

“You…You don’t understand. You don’t know my dad,” said Dean, shaking his head, “He’s going to disown me. Next time he sees me, he’s going to look straight through me. I’ll say 'Hi’ and it would be as if I’m not there. It will be worse than it already is and I…I don’t know if I can take that.”

Blue Eyes glared at the ground.

“What type of a crap father would disown his son just because he’s in Hufflepuff?” spat Blue Eyes.

“The type who thinks I shouldn’t even be here. The type who thought I wouldn’t screw up by at least being chosen to be in Griffindor. I mean, what does that mean about me? I am not only a screw up, but I subconsciously chose a house that was  _not_ the one Dad would approve of,” I said.

“Screw him, then,” said Blue Eyes, “There must be a reason the sorting hat chose Hufflepuff for you, and it always chooses the best house for everyone. Most of my family’s in Slytherin, but do you know where I am? Ravenclaw. People have told me time and time again in my family that something was wrong with me, that I have too big of a heart, that I came off the line with a crack in my chassis. For a long time, I thought they were right. But then, I met Meg, and well, she helped me understand that I was good the way I was. Don’t let people tell you you’re bad just because you may not exactly be the type of person they wanted you to be.”

Dean couldn’t help but smile.

“What? You want to be  _my_ Meg or something?” asked Dean.

Blue Eyes grinned.

“If I’m able to help someone like you, maybe,” said Blue Eyes.

“I don’t even know you’re name,” said Dean.

“My name is Castiel. Yours?”

“Dean.”

For a moment, there was silence.

“What do you mean by 'someone like you’?” Dean asked.

Castiel blinked for a moment.

“Someone who reminds me of what I used to be like,” he said.

Before Dean could say another word, a swarm of students bustled through the hall. Dean lost track of Castiel as he stood there, in the middle of the current.

Eventually, Dean found his way to the kitchen corridor.

“You okay there, brother?” asked Benny.

Dean sighed.

“I’ll get there eventually,” said Dean.

“If it makes you feel any better, I snuck a whole pie for you from the kitchen. It’s waiting on your new bed,” said Benny.

Dean smiled weakly.

“Yeah,” said Dean, “That will help a lot.”

“You’re going to love it here, Dean, I promise,” said Benny, “Hufflepuff is known to have the coziest common room of them all. You wouldn’t believe the water pressure in the showers.”

“Awesome water pressure? You know, I may be okay with this housing arrangement.”

Dean wasn’t. But he was trying to be.

Benny walked up to a barrel on the right of the hallway and began tapping.

“I brought your suitcase to your bed. I’ll get the pie ready while you’re doing that,” said Benny as they walked into the coziest room Dean had ever seen in his life.

Dean walked over to the room Benny gestured to to find his suitcase on the bottom bunk next to an area that seemed to have Benny’s stuff. Dean smiled. At least he’d be bunking it with someone he knew. He began to unpack his luggage. He stopped when he saw the picture of his mother.

That’s when he remembered. Mary. Mary Winchester was a Hufflepuff. He laughed, holding the picture with all the care in the world.

“Hey mom,” he said, placing the picture on his nightstand, “Looks like I take after you in more ways than one.”

 

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	3. the Boggart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. Here it is on Tumblr:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80948445453/spn-at-hogwarts-the-boggart
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: The Boggart

Dean Winchester woke to a pillow in the face.

“Are you coming to breakfast or are you just going to sleep there all day?” asked Benny, standing over Dean. Dean groaned, groggily sitting up.

“You could just shake me a bit to wake me up, you know?” Dean grumbled, rubbing his eyes as he stood up.

He glanced around the room. All the bunks seemed to be empty besides a few snoozing people under alternating yellow and black covers.

“Well, you could wear more than just boxers while sleeping, but you don’t see me telling you how to live your life, brother,” said Benny, grabbing his hat.

“That’s different,” Dean said, blushing a bit as he grabbed the closest button down.

Benny shook his head.

“No, not really. You alway seem to kick off those frigging sheets of yours. You’re lucky no girls crept in last night and had their way with you,” said Benny.

Dean shivered.

“Seriously? You’re going to make rape jokes?” said Dean. It was a sore spot for Dean. He had always gotten too much attention for his own good. Dean’s even been in several close-call situations. It was scary.

“Come on, you know I’m just kidding around,” said Benny, walking to the door, “Now, are you going to put your pants on before we go to breakfast or do you want to walk around like that?”

Dean rolled his eyes, putting on his pants.

“Seriously, Benny, I can take care of myself, you know that, right?” said Dean.

Benny smiled.

“Oh, come on, you know I know that,” said Benny, sorting through some clothes, “And sometimes, a little help from others doesn’t kill you.”

Benny pulled out a Hufflepuff tie and handed it to Dean. Dean smiled, nodding as he took the tie and put it on. Benny took another look at Dean’s clothes.

“Those clothes don’t fit you at all,” said Benny.

Dean sighed.

“They’re my dad’s old clothes. Sometimes, I wonder if I’ll ever fit them,” said Dean.

Benny put his arm around Dean as he walked him into the Hufflepuff common room.

“I know a person who knows tailoring magic. give me your uniforms when you get back from classes and they’ll be form fitting by tomorrow,” said Benny.

Dean sighed in relief.

“Merlin’s beard, thank you Benny,” said Dean.

He glanced around the room. There were a few first years still hanging out in the common room, all of them giving Dean strange glances. Dean avoided eye contact.

“Do you think that friend of yours can teach me those spells at some point?” asked Dean.

Benny shrugged as they walked into the hallway.

“I’ll see what I can do, but I don’t know, this guy, he likes to be on the down low when it comes to shady things like sewing,” said Benny, grinning.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“Speaking of people you know and I don’t, who do you usually sit with during Breakfast? Any fun people in Hufflepuff?” asked Dean.

“All the people in Hufflepuff are generally pretty great, brother,” said Benny, “But, being the sixth year I am, I generally hang out with sixth years.”

Benny and Dean walked into the Great Hall and sat at the Hufflepuff table.

“Dean, meet James Frampton, Portia Adalwolf, and Bess Myers,” said Benny, pointing each of them out.

“So this is Dean?” asked Portia, pouring herself some orange juice.

“He’s shorter than I thought he would be,” said Bess, shoveling down some bacon.

Dean narrowed his eyes.

“Hey, I’m six foot one, I’m tall,” said Dean.

James nodded, finishing off some waffles.

“He’s right, you know,” said James, “He’s way taller than average height - It’s nice to meet you, by the way.”

Dean smiled weakly.

“Yeah, nice to meet you too,” said Dean as he scarfed down some pancakes.

“You’re usually the first one here, Benny. Why were you so late?” asked Bess.

“Late?” Dean echoed.

“Sleeping beauty here’s hard as hell to wake up is what happened,” said Benny.

Dean laughed, feeling sheepish.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’m generally a heavy sleeper unless I’m around Sam. I don’t know why, but I can usually just tell when he’s having a bad dream. When he was little, he used to grab my arm or something and I’d just wake up instantly,” said Dean.

“Sam Winchester? You mean that Griffindor kid, right? The who took twenty minutes with the sorting hat?” asked Portia.

Dean felt bittersweet, smiling about the fact that at least Sammy got it right before he thought about the second part of what Portia said.

“Twenty minutes? It took Sam that long?” asked Dean. Bess nodded.

“Oh, yeah,” said Bess, “It was the longest I’ve ever seen the sorting hat take to decide on a person’s house. From the rumors, I heard the hat was bouncing him around from Ravenclaw to Griffindor.”

“Ravenclaw?” asked Dean.

Bess nodded.

“Yeah, Ravenclaw. You repeat a lot of stuff,” said Bess.

Dean opened his mouth, then closed it.

“Come on, be nice to him. He’s a good guy,” said Benny.

“I don’t know how good of a guy he is if he looked that disappointed in being part of our house,” spat Portia.

“I wasn’t too glad at first when I was selected to be a Hufflepuff,” James pointed out.

Portia glared at James.

“That’s not the point,” said Portia.

“Dean, don’t worry about these two,” said James, finishing off his glass of milk, “I get where you’re coming from. Everyone else in my family has always been a Ravenclaw. Hell, there’s this myth in the family that we hail from Rowena herself. But, I don’t know, this house just, well…it grows on you.”

Portia whacked James’ head. He groaned, wincing as he rubbed it. Callous as it sounded, Dean felt at least a bit of relief from what James said.

“Thanks,” said Dean.

James nodded.

“No problem,” said James.

Bess looked down at her watch.

“We should probably all go. It’s almost time for class,” said Bess as they all stood up.

“I may not be around for lunch, so I’ll meet up with you at dinner, okay?” said Benny, walking with Dean out of the Great Hall.

“You’re not eating lunch? Why?” asked Dean.

“Knitting Club,” said Benny.

Dean raised an eyebrow.

“What? I can’t learn how to knit? How else do you think you get those warm sweaters you and Sam get every winter?” asked Benny.

“Those are wonderful sweaters,” said Dean, approving the decision.

“You should check it out sometime. It’s actually pretty fun,” said Benny.

“Yeah, maybe,” said Dean, waving goodbye as they went their separate ways.

Though the hallways were flooded with people, Dean never felt so alone. Dean already knew people were giving  him looks, whether it was from how he reacted to his house last night or how loose his clothes were. Not only was Dean feeling alone, but he was still feeling horrible for just  _being_ a Hufflepuff.

He walked into the Muggle Studies room, unsure of where to sit. He glanced around the room. The class seemed pretty divided between Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Dean had come late and most of the seats had already been taken, it seemed.

“If you’re looking for a seat, you can sit near me.”

Dean blinked, looking around.

“Over here.”

Dean saw a blonde girl waving at him, smiling shyly. She had a Hufflepuff tie on. Dean felt a bit relaxed that somebody from his house was going to acknowledge him after how he reacted last night, how he was still reacting.

“Thanks,” said Dean, “I thought I would be stranded somewhere in the back.”

“No worries. I get the feeling of not fitting in. You’re Dean Winchester, right?” asked the girl.

Dean nodded.

“Yeah. You?”

“Donna Hanscum,” said the girl.

“Why’d you say you didn’t fit in? You don’t seem to be missing any social skills,” said Dean.

“You mean Donna Hamscow over there?” said a Ravenclaw boy a bit louder than he had to say it, “I don’t see how you can't  _see why_.”

Dean glared at the guy as he walked down to a group of Ravenclaws closer to the front.

“Who’s that asshole?” asked Dean.

Donna smiled a bit when Dean said that.

“Gavin. He's  _Crowley_ ’s son.”

“Who?”

“Professor McLeod, but all the students call him Crowley. I’m not sure why, though, the nickname’s been his since before I came here,” said Donna, shrugging.

“Weird name,” said Dean.

Donna nodded.

“I know, right?” said Donna, taking out some donuts she must have snuck in, “You want one?”

Dean grinned.

“Who would pass up a donut? Weirdos, that’s who,” said Dean, grabbing one.

A young looking man stumbles into the room from the office connecting it, taking out organized notes.

“Good morning, class,” said the young man, adjusting his tie, “My name is Professor Peter Jenkins and welcome to the wonderful world of Muggles.”

Dean and Donna stood at the entrance of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class, wearily gazing at the intimidating, dangerous-looking door.

“I heard they got a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year,” said Donna, “I heard he's  _insane_.”

Dean didn’t like the sound about that.

“Insane as in good insane or insane as in the bad, dingo at my baby crazy?” asked Dean reluctantly.

“The latter one. But more like the prolonged exposure to hell sort of crazy,” said Donna.

“Great. That’s just super,” said Dean, not liking the sound of any of that.

“Are you two dorks going to keep ogling the door or are you going to go in?” asked Gavin in a surly manner.

“You wanna go in first? Be my guest, shorty,” said Dean, stepping aside.

Gavin didn’t acknowledge the two. He strode up and opened the door, walking into the room. Immediately, the door slammed behind him.

Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Well that doesn’t look good,” said Dean.

“We should all proceed with caution if we wish to enter that room. At least, that’s my opinion.”

Both Dean and Donna jumped. Dean turned, seeing those familiar blue eyes.

“Merlin’s Beard, Cas! You gave us a heart attack!” said Dean, wondering if there was a way to consciously lower his blood pressure, “Wait, you’re in my class? Why weren’t you in Muggle Studies?”

“Because I chose Study of Ancient Runes for my elective,” said Cas.

Dean blinked.

“Wait, that’s an elective?” asked Dean.

Cas tilted his head curiously.

“Who’s that?” asked Cas.

Dean blinked. He turned to Donna, who she herself was confused.

“Donna? Donna Hanscum? I’ve been in classes with you for four years,” said Donna.

Cas narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t remember you,” said Cas.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“Seriously?” asked Dean.

Cas furrowed his eyebrows.

“Why wouldn’t I be serious?” asked Cas.

Dean opened his mouth, then closed it. He noticed Cas was way too close to him for it to be normal. Before he could respond to any of that, there was a scream from the Defense Against the Dark Arts Room.

All the students outside of the room turned to the ominous door as the screaming kept going.

“I see someone’s already walked in.”

It was someone behind the group of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, 

“I’m sure one of you already knows my name by now,” said the man, walking towards the door.

Dean could see Donna tense up.

“Professor Gordon Walker,” whispered Donna to Dean and Cas.

Dean knew that man. Gordon Walker used to be one of the top Aurors for the Ministry of Magic, specializing in Vampire cases. He was said to be so coldhearted that he even killed his own sister when he found out that she had became a vampire and joined a blood cartel. Rumor had it that Walker had gotten kicked out of the Auror program due to infringements of paragraph twelve of the Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizard Part-Humans.

The screaming was still ensuing inside that room and the professor was doing nothing about it.

“Can any of you guess what is in my classroom?” asked Professor Walker.

Everyone was silent. All that could be heard were Gavin’s screams.

“What about you let the idiot who walked in without knowing what was in there out?” asked Donna, probably more loudly than she meant to. Maybe it just sounded loud because no one else was speaking up.

The professor turned his gaze onto Donna, then faltered, making eye contact with Dean. Dean flinched.

“Dean Winchester,” said Professor Walker, and just the sound of the man saying his name made Dean’s skin crawl, “I never would have pegged you for a  _Hufflepuff_. I have to say, I’m not sure if you’re father would approve.”

Dean felt his whole body freeze up at the thought.

But then…Dean felt a hand on his back. He glanced to his right. Cas.

Dean breathed in. Dean breathed out.

“What does my  _house_ have to do with the fact that you let a student go into a room with an unknown possibly dangerous creature? Donna’s right, shouldn’t you  _do something_? You  _are_ a professor, right?” asked Dean.

The world grew silent besides Gavin’s screams once more. Professor Walker laughed dryly.

“You think I should, huh? If you really want something to happen, what about we let Ms. Hanscum in, see what she thinks about our first class example?” asked Professor Walker. Donna stared at the door in horror, her mouth agape.

Dean thought about those screams. He couldn’t let her go in there. Dean stepped in front of her.

“I’ll go in,” said Dean.

The whole class stared at him as if he were insane. Dean didn’t understand why they weren’t staring at Professor Walker instead of himself.

Professor Walker cracked a smile and laughed once more.

“What about we let it out here. I’m sure you all will see what it is after that,” said Professor Walker.

Dean stood his ground as the whole class moved feet back. Dean glanced behind him to see Donna and Cas were still by his side.

“It’s okay, guys,” said Dean, “Really.”

“Just…Be careful…okay? I can’t lose my first friend just yet,” said Donna, her voice shaky as she stepped back.

Cas didn’t speak. There was only a passing glance. a reassuring touch. That’s all Dean needed from the guy. Dean didn’t even know how he knew it, but Cas’ actions spoke words, ushered volumes of ‘it’s okay’ and epics of 'I’m here for you’. Dean didn’t know why, but what Cas did made all the difference.

Dean turned to the door with renewed confidence. Professor Walker smiled sadistically as he opened what felt like the gates of hell to Dean.

Gavin ran through the door and down the hallway, screaming the whole way through. The room he was in was pitch black, complete darkness. But then the darkness began to move and mold, shift and shape. It became humanoid, structured itself until it finally transformed into what its final form was.

“Why does it look just like him?” called out a random Ravenclaw.

That was when Dean knew what the creature was. That son of a bitch sicked a boggart on his own class. He left a student with a boggart for twenty minutes without any instruction as to how to defeat the beast.

“The whole world is dangerous, class,” said Professor Walker, “And you’re not going to get an easy way out in the real world. This class will be about experience.”

Dean froze, looking at the boggart in sheer horror.

“What’s the matter, Dean?” called Professor Walker, “Where’s all you’re courage now?”

All his courage went out the window the second he saw himself.

“ _Ridikulus_!” shouted Cas.

The boggart shifted and contorted, a dress and boa appearing on Dean’s figure.

Dean felt that reassuring touch once more.

“ _Ri…Ridikulus_!” shouted Donna, the boggart becoming more confused and funny looking as another came closer to it.

The boggart began to step back. The two shouting the spell over and over until it was back in the Defense Against the Dark Arts room. Quickly, Cas closed the door.

“Well,” said Professor Walker, staring down at Dean in disappointment, “At least two of you could do something right.”

Dean glanced back at the class. They were all staring at him. They were staring at him and his poorly fitting clothes and his strange outbursts and how his own boggart was himself.

Dean took a step back.

“Dean?” said Donna worriedly.

Dean glanced at her and shook his head. He turned, running away from the group.

Dean, once again, found himself lost in the maze of a castle which was Hogwarts. He didn’t know what floor he was on, what wing he was in, all he knew was that he was in a room with things he could break, just like he wanted. A room with colossal windows to let the warmth of the sunlight stretch on its wooden floors, a place where he could be alone.

At first, Dean tried to stay calm. He really did try. But after all the crap that’s been happening to him, well…he had to do something. So he vented. He began breaking lamps, mirrors, vases, and it felt good to at least be in control of that. He couldn’t control what house he was in, how a professor viewed him, what his darkest fear was, but at least this - he could control. But when all the breakables were broken, well…Dean was left with himself to beat up.

“Dean?”

Dean tried to pull himself together before he turned to that familiar voice.

Cas didn’t try to talk Dean through it. Cas didn’t try to tell him how wrong he was nor that everything was going to be okay. Cas was just… _there_. There for  _him_ , for  _Dean_. And it was strange, yes, just standing in a room filled with broken china and glass with someone Dean had only known for maybe a day, but for some reason…this was what Dean needed. He just needed someone there. He didn’t need the words.

Finally, Dean faced Cas, his last tears wiped away.

“Don’t tell me I’m flunking Defense Against the Dark Arts now,” said Dean, getting a sinking feeling.

Cas merely tilted his head.

“I don’t know what your grade would be at this time, Dean. Professor Walker said nothing of it,” said Cas.

A laugh came out of Dean without consent.

“What’s so funny?” asked Cas, confused.

“You always seem to know just what to do with me,” said Dean.

Cas furrowed his eyebrows.

“Really? I feel quite lost at the moment,” said Cas.

Dean put his arm around Cas, walking him out of the room to find themselves outside.

“Don’t worry about it. Just…thanks, okay?” said Dean.

Cas flashed a smile.

“I would say the same to you,” said Cas.

Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Why?” asked Dean.

He couldn’t think of any reason why Cas would ever thank him. In fact, Dean could think of a lot of reasons why Cas _shouldn’t_ thank him.

“For giving me a new friend,” said Cas, “Two, if you count Donna, but I’m not sure about her just yet.”

Cas narrowed his eyes. Dean rolled his.

“Come on, she’s sweet and it’s not like it would kill you to make another friend,” said Dean.

Cas nodded.

“I’ll take that into consideration,” Cas said, both of them snickering.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	4. The Goblet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. Here it is on Tumblr:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/81065884952/spn-at-hogwarts-the-goblet
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: The Goblet

 

“Got you the uniforms,” said Benny grinning, throwing something that actually fits at Dean.

“Oh man, you’re the best, Benny,” said Dean.

“What else would you expect from me?” asked Benny, throwing more of the clothes at Dean. Dean laughed, toppling over into his bed.

“Come on, stop,” said Dean, the clothes piling up into a mini mountain.

“You know you like it.”

“Like clothes thrown at me? Come on, maybe the opposite.”

“Really? You’d rather me take off your clothes now? Brother, you’ve only got boxers on,” said Benny, snickering.

Dean scrunched his face.

“Ew, not you. If someone was going to take my boxers off, I’d rather have someone with a lot less beard.”

Benny fake gasped.

“Are you beardist? You know, some people would be offended by that,” said Benny with mock disgust.

“Can you two shut up? Merlin’s beard!” shouted a Hufflepuff crossing the room with a towel.

For a moment, Dean and Benny glanced at each other, blinking They both laughed as Dean began to put his clothes on.

“Seriously, what’s up with that stick in the mud?” asked Dean.

Benny rolled his eyes.

“Pay no attention to Ansem Gallagher. He’s always been a bit too fidgety for his own good. His brother’s not to horrible, though.”

Benny gestured to the guy snoring up a storm in the corner.

“Andy’s way nicer, trust me.”

I nodded fixing up my tie.

“Good to know,” said Dean, as he began walking out to the common room.

“Now what’s the rush there?” asked Benny, raising an eyebrow.

“I made friends with this girl, Donna. She said she’d eat breakfast with me,” said Dean.

Benny grinned.

“Nah, man, not like that. She’s a cool person and she doesn’t seem to have many friends,” said Dean.

“Whatever you say, Dean,” said Benny, snickering.

“I’m serious, Benny, don’t say this stuff around her. I’m not going to make friends in my own year if you tell people things like that,” said Dean.

“You’re not gonna make any friends in your own year if you just stand there. Now go. Don’t make me throw clothes at you again.”

Dean laughed.

“Fine, I’m leaving. See you later.”

Dean found Donna waiting at the door. She glanced over and waved nervously.

“Please don’t say you came here to steal my shoes,” said Donna nervously.

Dean furrowed his eyebrows.

“Why would I steal your shoes?” asked Dean.

“It’s happened before?” said Donna.

Dean sighed, putting his arm over her shoulders as they began walking over to the Great Hall.

“Well, that’s not going to happen anymore, and if it does, come find me, okay?” said Dean.

Donna smiled.

“Nobody’s really done that for me before,” said Donna.

“Well there’s a first time for everything, right?” said Dean.

As they entered the hall, they saw a giant Goblet right in front of where the headmaster ate. It was a tall, intricate piece of craftsmanship that seemed to have been molded eons before Dean knew time existed. Scripture Dean could not decipher was etched into the goblet on all sides, as if it were to tell a tale like the images on Greek pottery. It was a looming structure with strange dark flames coming out of it, licking the air playfully.

Dean raised an eyebrow.

“What’s that?” asked Dean.

Donna shrugged.

“Don’t look at me, I’m muggle born. I’m surprised half the time. Scratch that, more than half,” said Donna. Dean nodded as they headed towards their table.

Before they sat down, Dean noticed Sam walking into the Hall. Dean grinned, waving excitedly at his brother.

“Hey, Sam!” he called from across the hall.

Sam glanced at Dean, smiled for a moment, and gave Dean a little wave before he sat down next to Jo.

“You really love your little brother, don’t you?” asked Donna as they sat down.

Dean couldn’t stop smiling as he nodded.

“Yeah,” said Dean, “I practically raised the kid. I’d do anything for him.”

“Hi, Donna,” piped up a squeaky voice from the corner.

“Oh, uh, hi, Bobby,” said Donna as she grabbed a muffin.

Dean glanced from Bobby to Donna curiously. Bobby hiccuped, his hair color changing.

“Hi…the name’s Dean Winchester,” said Dean, extending his hand.

For a moment, Bobby stared at the hand.

“B-Bobby John,” said Bobby nervously, shaking Dean’s hand.

Bobby slunk back into his seat, eating quietly. Dean wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“Uh, do you know what’s up with that Goblet over there?” asked Dean.

Bobby flinched, looking from side to side.

“You…You talking to me?” asked Bobby.

“No, I’m talking to the fruit bowl to your left,” said Dean.

“Oh, uh…My p-parents didn’t go to Hogwarts. My dad went to Beauxbatons and my mom went to Salem Witches’ Institute,” replied Bobby.

Dean opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by more intriguing matters.

“Hello, Students,” said the Headmaster, “I’m sure you’re all having a wonderful morning thus far.”

Everyone turned to face him.

“I’m sure some of you are wondering why there is a giant goblet in the Great Hall today. I’m sure some of you already know why.”

Dean glanced down at that peculiar goblet once more. Maybe he should have sat with Benny today. Dean bet he’d have some form of idea on what the goblet meant.

“This year, you see, is a Triwizard Tournament year. A tournament where three wizarding schools compete in three mysterious tasks. A student from each school may compete in this tournament. The student who wins will claim the victory for their school. Any person who is a fifth year and over shall be able to compete.”

“Why would anyone want to compete in that? What does mysterious even  _mean_?” asked Dean.

“For fame? Power? Glory?” blurted Bobby.

Dean glanced at Bobby. Bobby shrugged in a tense, jittery way.

“I’m j-just saying,” said Bobby.

“I don’t know,” mumbled Dean, crossing his arms as he turned back to the Goblet, “Mysterious just sounds too ominous to me.”

“If you wish to take part in the tournament, please place your name in the goblet. The Goblet will select a random name from the drawing. You have until the end of this week to enter your name into the mix. I…I guess that’s it. Er…just continue eating…or whatever,” said Professor Shurley, sitting down.

“He started strong, but ended sort of shaky,” said Dean.

“That’s Professor Shurley for you,” said Donna, finishing her scrambled eggs, “I’m surprised he didn’t start rambling on about random things through sheer nervousness.”

“Is he really that bad of a public speaker?” asked Dean, smearing cream cheese onto a bagel.

“One time, he talked about his fathers for twenty minutes halfway through a safety announcement because someone distracted him,” said Donna.

“Fathers?”

Donna nodded.

“Yup. For the life of me, I can’t remember what the announcement was about but to this day, I can repeat Professor’s story about what happened with his fathers in Vegas verbatim,” said Donna.

Dean snorted.

“Come on, we gotta head to class,” said Donna, collecting a few biscuits in a napkin. She placed the napkin in her robes as she stood up.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Dean, following suit, “I’m coming.”

Dean was walking through the hallway when he saw a group gathering around the Great Hall. He spotted Garth in the crowd.

“Hey, Garth!” said Dean, walking over to him, “What’s going on?”

“Oh, Dean, hey!” said Garth, glancing at him, then returning his attention to whatever was going on in the Great Hall, “Students are trying to place their names into the Goblet. It’s interesting to see who wants to apply, you know?”

“You’re not going to join the losers who think this is a good idea, are you?” asked Dean, taking a look to see a Slytherin girl place her name in the goblet.

Garth shrugged.

“Maybe. It sounds like an interesting challenge to say the least,” said Garth.

“Look, Garth,” said Dean, putting his hand on Garth’s shoulder, “I had a bad feeling about the tournament, so I did some fact checking in the library. Turns out people die in this tournament. A lot of people. Like, the last time this thing went down, three girls went missing and a Durmstrang guy got his head chopped clean off. Or, well, not clean. It was supposedly very messy.”

Dean stared at Garth, gaging his reaction.

“What?” said Garth, “I like challenges. I totally Garth challenges.”

Dean narrowed his eyes.

“How the hell are you in Ravenclaw?” asked Dean.

“If you saw my latest test results, you’d know why,” said Garth, “Besides, you should have seen when Jo tried to put her name in the hat.”

“Jo?” said Dean confusedly, “She’s only a second year.”

Garth tried to hold in a laugh. 

“Jo somehow got a guy who knew a guy and tried to use a temporary aging spell. As soon as she got over the line, she grew a beard.”

Dean laughed heartily, imagining the bearded twelve year old.

“I know that spell, did it to Sam once,” said Dean, grinning, “She’ll be bearded all week.”

“Enough talk, though. Need to do this before I start second guessing myself,” said Garth as he began to move into the crowd.

“Wa-Wait, Garth, maybe you should second guess what you’re doing? I mean, you’re just a fourth year. Wouldn’t you get bearded too?” said Dean, moving deeper into the group as well.

“You sound like you’re chicken, Dean,” said Garth.

“No, I’m pretty sure I’m being sensible. Look at yourself, Garth. Do you really think you can go up against people from  _Durmstrang_?” asked Dean.

Garth gave Dean a look of confidence.

“I’ve never been big or muscular, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do this,” said Garth.

He took out a slip of paper and walked towards the goblet. Instead of being the rowdy crowd they were for the candidates who seemed likely, they all grew silent when Garth approached the goblet and threw his name in.

Something Dean always wondered was how Garth was so secure with himself. Garth was a quirky one, and no one seemed to think he could do much for Hogwarts. Even though Dean would love to see Garth wipe the smile off of all of their smug faces and prove them wrong, Dean would rather Garth’s name weren’t picked. He liked his friends how they were - not dead.

Garth walked over to Dean, a lazy smile on his face.

“Well, that was easier than expected,” said Garth.

“It’s easy to do stupid things,” said Dean.

“It’s a one in thousand chance, Dean, _maybe_. I wouldn’t sweat it too much,” said Garth.

Dean sighed.

“You know, this is why I’m perpetually in a state of worriment,” said Dean as they walked out of the Great Hall.

“You can’t say it doesn’t make your life a whole lot more interesting.”

Dean laughed.

“You all keep telling me that, and the hell if I know if I  _want_ that sort of intrigue in my life,” said Dean.

“Then what do you want in life, Dean Winchester?” asked Garth curiously.

Dean stopped in the middle of the hallway. Dean didn’t know what he wanted. No one ever asked.

Dean found Cas staring at the sky in the middle of the courtyard.

“Hey Cas, what’s up?” asked Dean.

“Well, Dean, I’ve been thinking. Monkeys are so… clever, and they’re sensible in that they leave the skins on the bananas that they eat. Is it really necessary to test cosmetics on them? I mean, how important is lipstick to you, Dean?”

Dean blinked.

“That’s what you get from looking at the sky?” asked Dean as he sat down next to Cas.

“My mind sort of just…wanders, I suppose,” said Cas.

“You weren’t in class today, Cas,” said Dean.

Cas narrowed his eyes, glancing at Dean.

“Who said I go to class?”

Dean laughed.

“Well, we are sort of in…school. And you are a student. And students go to class,” said Dean.

Cas smiled.

“I didn’t think you would be a class going student, Dean. You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“Don’t change the subject,” said Dean.

Cas sighed.

“History of Magic bores me,” groaned Cas.

“Really?” said Dean, “It’s probably my favorite class right now. Just all the lure and mythology, it’s exciting. After years of muggle school when I was younger, history here reminds me of English class with the Odyssey. If only we could read Vonnegurt here too.”

Cas tilted his head.

“Who?”

Dean shook his head.

“Nothing.”

“You’re a weird one, Dean Winchester,” said Cas.

“I’m not that weird, I’m sure everyone has a favorite class,” said Dean, “What’s yours?”

Cas closed his eyes. Dean found it interesting to watch Cas in such deep thought for this answer.

“Herbology,” said Cas, “I think herbology.”

“That class with Professor Turner? Why?”

“Flowers bring bees, and I do like to watch the bees,” said Cas, “What do you have against Professor Turner, anyways?”

Dean groaned.

“It’s embarrassing.”

“What?” asked Cas, his attention peaked, “Tell me.”

Dean looked into those blue eyes of his and Dean couldn’t just not tell the guy.

“Rufus Turner’s an old friend of a guy who’s basically an uncle to me,” said Dean, “He knows…stories. I try to avoid eye contact at all times. If not, he may say something that will ruin my already crappy reputation.”

“Now I’ll have to come to class,” said Cas, “Maybe if I sit next to you and stare at the professor just enough, he’ll notice you and say something interesting.”

“Maybe you should just stick to your no class policy,” said Dean.

They both laughed, gazing up at the sky.

 

Dean and Donna walked into the Great Hall to find two new tables in the room. Dean blinked, unsure of what to make of that.

“Hey, so I guess those are for the other schools, then?” asked Donna.

“I did some research, and it seems as though Durmstrang and Beauxbatons bring a handful of their best and brightest to face us in these games,” said Dean.

“Well, you sure know a lot about the Triwizard Tournament,” said Donna.

“If something dangerous is happening at this school, of course I’ll learn as much as I can about it. To prepare myself. To make sure Sammy will be fine,” said Dean.

Donna smiled.

“You’re a good brother, you know that? Overprotective, but good, nonetheless,” said Donna.

“You don’t know what me and that little guy have been through. I had to be this protective to survive,” said Dean. 

“You should relax a bit more. Hogwarts is a pretty safe place, you know?” said Donna.

“Yeah, that’s what people keep telling me. But then things like that Triwizard Tournament pop up out of nowhere and nobody bats an eye. Me relaxing has the same chance as Mr. Metamorphmagus not being twitchy for one day,” said Dean.

“Actually, he’s an Animagus.”

“A what?”

“It just gives a huge variety more of options. He can change his gender and age at will and some other stuff, I think. He wasn’t good at explaining it when I asked,” said Donna.

“Speaking of Mr. Twitchy, I thought you said you didn’t have any friends,” said Dean.

Donna laughed nervously.

“He’s not really a friend. He just sort of sits there and we eat. he doesn’t really say much,” said Donna.

“I don’t know about that,” said Dean as they both sat down.

Dean turned to the hunched over Bobby John.

“Bobby!” said Dean loudly, making the guy jump and almost spill his orange juice, “Got a question for you.”

“W-w-what?” asked Bobby.

Bobby’s hair and eye color were changing constantly, probably due to nerves.

“Would you say that you are Donna’s friend?” asked Dean, smiling.

Bobby and Donna stared at each other. 

“W-well…If…If you want to be, well…”

Before Bobby could finish his sentence, the doors flung open. Two different lines walked into the room, each with different uniforms. The Great Hall grew quiet as the lines went to their separate tables.

“Good morning, students,” said Professor Shurley, “I’m sure you have all noticed our new additions. I hope you all give the students of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons a warm welcome. The Triwizard Tournament is for…uh…unity…and stuff…and what about we just see who will be our champions?”

“Merlin’s beard, it’s painful to listen to him,” whispered Dean.

“Shush. I can’t hear what they’re saying,” said Donna.

“They just called out Dorothy Baum for Durmstrang,” blurted Bobby.

“The next name is….”

A paper flew out of the goblet and into Professor Shurley’s hands.

“April Kelly for Beauxbatons!”

There were claps, polite ones from people who were unsure of who April Kelly was.

“And, finally, for Hogwarts, our Champion shall be…”

 _Not Garth, not Garth, not Garth,_  Dean thought in his head, really hoping his scrawny friend wouldn’t be pit against unknown horrors.

“Castiel Novak!”

Dean fell off his chair. Dean was not expecting that.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	5. The Knitting Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. Here it is on Tumblr:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/81375677712/spn-at-hogwarts-the-knitting-club
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: The Knitting Club

“WHAT?” shouted Dean.

All eyes were on Dean now. Every Hogwarts student, every pretty Beauxbatons face (and those two ugly ones in the back), every scary looking Durmstrang kid (as well as that one shifty looking one), and all the professors, were all gazing at Dean Winchester who just announced his surprise about the Hogwarts Champion for the Triwizard Tournament in a very public fashion.

“Do you have something to say about the randomly selected Triwizard Champion for Hogwarts?” asked Professor Shurley in a tone that meant he was not in the mood to joke, “Any questions, queries, concerns, objections on the matter?”

Dean stood, his bow legs shaking as he opened his mouth and closed it. HIs face turned crimson as he slowly sat down, putting his head on the Hufflepuff table.

There was a long, very,  _very_ awkward silence before Professor Shurley cleared his throat.

“Uh…so…sorry about that, Monsieur Azazel, Professor Alistair,” said Shurley in a stumbling fashion, “Anyways…uh…that’s all for now…please come meet with me after dinner if you have been chosen as a champion…that is…uh…all?”

Professor Shurley glanced over to the heads of the other schools.

First to Monsieur Frederic Azazel, proviseur of Beauxbatons. He was a sinister looking man who truly did break the stereotype of Beauxbatons. Monsieur Azazel merely gave Shurley a glare that made the professor jump.

Next he turned to Professor Christopher Alistair, and Dean could swear if a man could make him jump out of his skin with just a look, that psychotic looking man would be it. Now this creep, he rolled his eyes, grimacing at the professor.

Shurley shrunk into his chair.

“Yup, that’s it. Just eat dinner and stuff,” squeaked Professor Shurley halfheartedly.

Slowly, the group began to speak to each other once more.

“Smooth move, Dean,” said Donna, scooching away from him.

Dean saw Bobby move away too.

“Oh come on, do you really think being near me would actually ruin _your_ reputation at all, Bobby? Really?” asked Dean.

Bobby avoided eye contact. Dean could still feel the eyes on him from all sides. He put his head back on the table.

“Maybe people will forget about this tomorrow?” said Donna.

Dean glanced up, his head still on the table.

“Wow. That almost sounded truthful,” said Dean.

Donna gave Dean a sympathetic look.

“Yeah, they’re going to be talking about this for a while,” said Donna.

Dean groaned, wishing he could take that little outburst back.

So, if there was anything Dean could take out of that night, it would be that the walls in Hogwarts are soundproof and no amount of willing sound through those walls helped.

Maybe Dean shouldn’t be eavesdropping on the discussion with the Triwizard Champions. Scratch that, he definitely shouldn’t and he could possibly be expelled for doing something so stupid.

But this was…this was Cas and Cas was  _Cas_. He was some quirky little nerdy dude who’d rather watch the bees than go to Defense Against the Dark Arts class (which, yeah, Dean could admit that the professor of that particular class was on the Oh My Merlin I Won’t Be In the Same Room With Him and His Rape-y Stares Alone category on Dean’s Professor List in his head, but that doesn’t mean Cas should miss class, it’s not like  _he’s_ the one getting that real ‘special’ eyesex attention from the creep). Cas just wasn’t the type of person Dean would ever  _expect_ to volunteer for the Tournament, especially since Cas hadn’t said anything about it to Dean. If Dean knew Cas was going to try something so stupid, he would have done something, dammit, he would have stopped the idjit from putting himself in harms way. And now, instead of being able to do anything on Cas’ behalf, Dean was stuck pacing the hallway outside of the Great Hall.

The doors opened in their slow, imminent way. The three champions walked out of the Great Hall, each with their own headmasters. Dean tried to avoid the other schools as much as possible. Dean was getting a horrible vibe from those two other headmasters and Dean was rarely wrong about people.

“Uh, Cas, uh-”

“Get out of my face!” shouted Cas, glaring at Professor Shurley. Dean blinked, watching the professor cringe.

“But, Castiel, I just wanted to-”

“I don’t need help. I just want you to leave me alone,  _Professor_.”

Something about the way Cas was acting made him think the professor was more than just a professor to Cas.

Dean tried not to think about the relationship. There were too many possibilities that would make Dean sick.

“Castiel, I’m only trying to help,” said Professor Shurley.

Cas wasn’t having it.

“You’re a few years too late on that matter,” hissed Cas.

That was when Cas noticed Dean, just standing there, unsure of what to do.

“Come on, Dean. Let’s get out of here,” said Cas, grabbing Dean by the arm and dragging him away. Dean looked from the professor and Cas, and wasn’t sure what to say.

“Uh…Cas…what’s going on, exactly?” asked Dean.

Cas glanced at Dean.

“Trust me, it’s probably better if you didn’t know,” said Cas, sighing as rubbed his face.

Dean nodded. If there was something Cas didn’t want Dean to know, well, he just had to assume it was for the best. Cas would tell him about it eventually…and maybe scratch that, Dean didn’t know why he thought some guy he met a few weeks ago would trust him.

“Cas, is there a reason  _why_ you entered the raffle for a high death rate?” asked Dean.

“I was bored,” said Cas deadpan.

Dean furrowed his eyebrows.

“The hell does that mean?” asked Dean.

Cas looked Dean in the eye.

“You’ve only known me for a few weeks, Dean Winchester. You don’t know where I come from,” said Cas.

There was something dark and ominous in that tone. Dean gulped.

“Well, I won’t know anything unless you tell me,” said Dean.

Cas walked closer and closer to Dean, backing him up into a wall.

“Is that what you want, Dean?” asked Cas, so close to Dean that Dean could feel his breath, “Do you want me to tell you about everything? About my past?”

Dean couldn’t stop looking into those eyes.

“Just anything you feel comfortable saying,” said Dean, shaking a bit.

Cas smiled for a moment, then glanced to the side. Cas sighed.

“Perhaps some other time,” said Cas, moving away.

Dean was about to call Cas back when someone put a hand on Dean’s shoulder.

“Hey, brother, you okay there?”

Dean turned to the voice to find Benny. Dean sighed.

“Yeah, I guess,” said Dean.

Benny raised an eyebrow.

“You sure? I mean, you made a bit of a scene during dinner,” said Benny.

Dean groaned, closing his eyes.

“What about we never talk about that,” said Dean.

Benny nodded.

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen. You will be teased about that by everyone, and when I mean everyone, I mean… _everyone_ ,” said Benny.

Dean punched Benny playfully.

“You’re all jerks,” said Dean.

“Bitch,” said Benny.

Dean blinked.

“Merlin’s beard, that’s usually the opposite way around. Help me, Benny, I’m turning into a nerd like Sammy,” said Dean, mockingly holding on to Benny’s robes tightly.

Benny laughed.

“I think you’ve already turned, Mr. Star Trek,” said Benny.

“Hey, I told you that in trust,” grumbled Dean, “At least basically no one here understands what that is.”

Benny just laughed as they walked back to the dorms.

Dean was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

It was only moments earlier that Dean, reckless hero extraordinaire, had stood in between a quite bulky Durmstrang guy and a scrawny little hufflepuff first year.

“Hey,” said Dean only moment’s before, “Aren’t you a bit old to be picking on eleven year olds.”

Which got Dean into his present situation. That Durmstrang guy-Yeah, he was pushing Dean into a wall.

“Is this the best you got?” asked Dean, forcing bravado, “Come on, are we going to fight or make out?”

The Durmstrang guy didn’t move. He just glared at Dean. Then, to Dean’s horror, the Durmstrang guy  _grinned_. And crap, was that the worst choice of snark Dean had ever done in such a horrible situation. They were in a basically deserted hallway with no windows and very little lighting. To Dean’s immense horror, the Durmstrang guy was actually leaning  _towards him_ , Dean boxed into the wall with no way to really get away. _  
_

“HEY ASSBUTT!”

Dean could hear something fly in the air as a  _rock_ hit the guy’s head. The Durmstrang guy actually  _growled_ , turning to the person who threw the frigging rock.

“Cas?” Dean blurted in exasperation and confusion as the juggernaut barreled over to the little nerdy dude.

You’d think people would use frigging  _spells_. What sort of school of magic was this if people weren’t using  _magic_ while they fight? But no. Oh, no, for some reason, these guys have to give Dean a frigging  _heart attack_ and have Cas fight him in good old fashion fisticuffs…well…sort of. As soon as the lug of a young man got to Cas, the nerdy dude frigging used some sort of martial arts, flipping a guy  _three times his size_.

For a moment, all was quiet, frozen.

Dean slid to the ground.

“Assbutt?” Dean said, “Really?”

Cas sort of just shrugged. He walked over and extended a hand. Dean took it as Cas helped him up.

“Thanks for the help. That guy…Merlin’s beard, it’s like all of those Durmstrang kids are complete psychopaths,” said Dean.

“Not really,” said Cas, “Dorothy seems to be a kind girl. Gruff, yes, but kind.”

Dean nodded.

“Yeah, speaking of Champions, why did you decide to be one?” asked Dean as they began to walk.

Cas tilted his head.

“Didn’t I already tell you?” asked Cas, walking ahead, “I was bored. I put my name in.”

Dean put his hand on Cas and turned him around.

“I’m serious, Cas. Nobody walks into a massacre without a reason,” said Dean.

Cas looked away and sighed. Even with his pokerface, Dean could sense that Cas was torn about the matter.

“Look, Dean,” Cas said, “It’s…it’s really complicated. And, besides, you’re the only person who really thinks  _anything_ bad’s going to happen.”

“Because something bad  _always_ happens, Cas,” said Dean, “I mean, have you not looked over the records on the past Triwizard Tournaments? Hell, even the people who win  _die_.”

“This is none of your concern,” said Cas.

“Like hell it isn’t,” said Dean, “When something has to do with a friend of mine, I’m not just going to take it lying down.”

“You’ve only known me for a month, maybe. This is none of your business,” said Cas, his voice deeper and more serious.

Dean faltered for a second.

Before Dean could say another word, Cas strode off, leaving Dean alone in that dark hallway.

“Dean?”

Dean jumped a bit in his seat.

“Dean, you okay?” asked Donna.

Dean turned to her and tried to slap on a smile.

“Yeah, why?” asked Dean, his foot tapping nervously.

“Well, you’ve been staring at the door the whole time in all the classes we’ve been in today,” said Donna.

She glanced around.

“Are you looking for that Cas guy?” asked Donna in more of a whisper.

Maybe.

“No,” said Dean.

Donna raised an eyebrow.

“Sue me for wondering why my friend hasn’t been in class for the past two days,” said Dean.

“Doesn’t mean you need to watch the door constantly. If somebody’s not in here by fifteen minutes into the class, I highly doubt they’d stride in forty minutes into it,” said Donna.

Dean sighed.

“Why are you so worried about the guy, anyways? If he put his name in the lottery for the Triwizard Tournament, then he must have enough skills to survive some pretty insane challenges,” said Donna.

Dean had a bad feeling that Cas may have those sort of skills. You don’t get those sort of skills from growing up in a healthy, happy household, either, that’s for sure.

“That doesn’t mean a person gets to play hooky every single frigging day,” grumbled Dean, as he turned his gaze reluctantly to his textbook.

“Oh, cheer up, Dean, I’m sure we’ll see him in herbology, he always seems to go to that class, at least,” said Donna, trying to sound peppy.

Dean gave Donna a halfhearted smile.

“Yeah, maybe,” said Dean, though, something told Dean that it was highly doubtful.

Dean lay on Charlie’s bed, staring up at the top of the bunk bed.

“You gotta get off my bed at some point,” said Charlie, laying next to Dean, “How do you think I get all the ladies? I gotta get my beauty sleep, and my naps count in that.”

Dean glanced over at her.

“Is it weird?” asked Dean.

“You on my bed? Yeah, a bit. I mean, if you keep at this, people are going to start talking, and I don’t want people thinking I’m suddenly straight.”

Dean blinked, then shook his head.

“No, not that,” said Dean.

Charlie grinned giddily.

“Stop that,” said Dean, throwing a pillow at her.

“Why? It’s adorable to see you worried about that Cas guy,” said Charlie, sitting up.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“I’m…I’m not that…”

Charlie gave Dean a look.

“So, you’re not worried about dreamy _Cas_?” asked Charlie.

Dean looked away.

“Well…”

Charlie kept looking at Dean. Dean sheepishly smiled.

“So what if I’m worried about the guy. And-hey- I  _never_ said the nerdy dude was  _dreamy_ ,” said Dean. 

Charlie grinned.

“Yeah, but I can just see it in your eyes,” said Charlie.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“We’re just  _friends_ , Charlie. Besides, I’m not interested in dating right now. I’m more worried about my new friend getting himself killed because of some stupid decision he made on a whim,” said Dean.

“You shouldn’t be talking to me about it, Dean,” said Charlie, “You should be asking Cas.”

Dean sighed.

“I haven’t seen him all week. It’s like he’s avoiding me or something,” said Dean.

“Maybe you should do something to take your mind off of this, then. I mean, the first challenge won’t happen for another month. I know how you obsess over these things,” said Charlie.

“And what do you suggest I should do?” asked Dean.

“Get a hobby.”

“A hobby?”

“You could join a club.”

“Really?”

“Benny’s in the Knitting Club. You should check that out.”

“Seriously?”

“Dean, you’ve been trying to track that Cas guy all week, practically stalking him. You need to do something that’s not creepy, even if it’s only for an hour,” said Charlie.

Dean sighed, sitting up.

“Fine,” said Dean.

Dean found himself surrounded by a gaggle of girls and Benny. Yes, Dean had taken Charlie’s suggestion and decided that it may be good to do something with his spare time besides running around, looking for that nerdy dude. It wasn’t like Cas seemed to want to be found by Dean anyways, and it wouldn’t kill Dean to have some R&R time with one of his best friends.

Dean didn’t take into account that knitting actually needed some skill of some sort.

“I hate this.”

Dean grimaced. What was supposed to be the beginning of a scarf looked more like a mauled clump of mystery yarn.

“Patience, Dean,” said Benny as he finished a sleeve for a sweater, “It takes time to learn how to do this well.”

“Easy for you to say,” grumbled Dean, giving up on undoing any knots he created in his knitting catastrophe and tossing the wad to the ground, “Seriously, this is just the worst.”

Benny glanced at Dean, then handed him another ball of yarn.

“Relax. Once you get into the zone, I’m sure you could make a lot of great stuff,” said Benny.

Dean gazed down at the horror which was the ball of yarn.

“People who find this relaxing are insane,” mumbled Dean.

That was when the door opened, revealing familiar blue eyes.

“Sorry for being late, I had to finish some business elsewhere,” said Cas, walking past Dean.

Cas grabbed a chair, dragging it right next to Dean. He sat down, taking out an unfinished hat from his bag.

“C…Cas?”

Cas blinked, glancing over to Dean.

“Hello, Dean,” said Cas, as if he had been talking to Dean all week.

“We’re talking now?” asked Dean.

Cas focused on the hat.

“Why wouldn’t we be talking?” asked Cas.

Dean opened his mouth, then closed it. He sighed. Maybe he was being too clinging with this new friend of his.

“So, you’re in Knitting Club?” asked Dean.

“He is,” said Benny, “Has been since he transferred here last year.”

Cas glared at Benny. Benny kept knitting, unfazed.

“Oh, uh,” said Dean, suddenly feeling very awkward, “I didn’t know that.”

“You never asked,” said Cas curtly.

“There seems to be a lot of things you haven’t been telling my good friend here, though, haven’t there?” asked Benny, glancing at Cas.

Cas stopped knitting completely, all his energy pouring into a stare that could kill.

“Uh, come on, guys,” said Dean, laughing nervously, “What’s going on here?”

Benny turned to Dean.

“Look, Dean, I’m only saying that maybe your friend should talk more about himself before you start sticking your neck out for him and looking around for him like some lost puppy,” said Benny.

“Maybe not knowing everything would be better for Dean,” said Cas, standing up, “Sometimes knowing too much can be a bad thing.”

Benny stood up as well.

“You know, you and your family have always been a bit sketchy,” said Benny. 

Dean stood up, getting in between the two.

“Guys, stop it,” Dean said, “What the hell are you guys talking about?”

Benny kept his gaze on Cas.

“Why don’t you ask him?” asked Benny.

Cas narrowed his eyes.

“I don’t need to take this,” said Cas, walking away and grabbing his book bag, “I’m leaving.”

“Cas, wait-”

Benny put his hand on Dean’s shoulder.

“Just let him go, Dean. Honestly, he’s not very good news,” said Benny.

Dean glanced back at Benny. Dean didn’t understand what he meant.

“We’re going to talk about this later,” said Dean.

Dean pushed Benny’s hand away from his shoulder. He strode out the room to try to find Cas, but Cas was too fast. He was already gone.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	6. Cousins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. Here it is on Tumblr:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/81657888228/spn-at-hogwarts-cousins
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: Cousins

 

Dean was halfway through a particularly funny story about Sammy when that half-pint of an owl Sam calls “Bones” flew into Dean’s face, a package crashing into his pile of bacon and eggs on his plate. Dean swore as the bird spasmed, swerving away towards the Griffindor table.

Dean glanced down at the package. It wasn’t wrapped well or anything. Old Daily Prophet pages covered what was inside, some random string keeping everything together.

Donna glanced over at Dean’s package curiously.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” asked Donna, finishing off an omelet, “You should open that.”

Dean wrapped his fingers reluctantly around the string.

Dean glanced at Donna. He could tell. He just knew she could sense his reluctance. Maybe she had noticed that it was the first package Dean had gotten since he came to Hogwarts. Not that it had been a long time since Dean had entered into this particular school, it was just most people had gotten letters from home by then. Hell, Donna got a letter from home twice a week. Even Bobby John had gotten a post card from his foster father every two weeks.

Dean undid the messy, ominously tight knot as he pulled the string off. He slowly opened the newspaper wrapping to reveal…a tie.

Dean’s heart sank. It was a Griffindor tie, of course, but it wasn’t for  _Dean_. There was slip of paper folded within the tie.  _TO SAM._ Yet it was specifically sent to Dean. Dean’s hand was shaking, the one that was holding the tie.

“Dean?”

Dean didn’t move.

“Dean, are you okay?”

Dean glanced over at Donna.

“I…uh…”

Dean stood up, walking out of the Great Hall.

“Wait, Dean, you okay there?”

Dean turned around to see Benny.

“I saw you walking out with something. Let me see it,” said Benny.

Dean turned away from Benny. He hadn’t spoken to Benny for days, not since the Knitting Club. As Cas was avoiding Dean since that day, Dean had been avoiding his bunkmate.

Benny moved in front of Dean.

“Hey, come on. I know you’re angry, but you’re my best friend - I’m not going to just let you brood off in some corner. Now let me see what you got so that I can understand,” said Benny.

Dean looked down at the tie and froze. He just kept staring at it, at the message inside, thinking about the meaning behind it all.

Benny slowly took the tie from Dean and swore under his breath. Dean felt so vulnerable at that moment because he knew, he just  _knew_ that Benny was going to connect the dots, that he  _was_ connecting the dots. Benny knew Dean well enough to understand what was going on and that scared Dean more than anything else.

 

Benny pulled Dean into a hug. They stood there for a moment, and Dean hated the fact that Benny could see the hurt in Dean. Because Dean didn’t deserve this. He knew that, he knew it from the  _tie_. He thought he was going to be okay with this. He thought he was going to be fine, with being  _this_ , with being in school when he knew he should be out there helping his dad find that son of a bitch who killed his mom, with having the audacity of being the wrong house, this  _Hufflepuff_ when he knew he didn’t deserve to be there if he wasn’t a Griffindor.

“You going to hug me back or are we just going to stand in the hall awkwardly? ‘Cause I’ll stand here until you hug me back, and I can stand for hours,” said Benny.

Dean groaned.

“Hours. You know that.”

Dean couldn’t help but smile, conceding as he slowly hugged Benny back.

“Good,” said Benny, pulling back, “I’ll give this to your brother. Say I accidentally got it in my mail.”

Dean rubbed his face, pulling himself together.

“Why?” asked Dean.

Benny raised an eyebrow.

“Why what?” asked Benny.

“Why do you even care? I’m such a mess. I don’t even know how I’m doing so well in classes,” said Dean.

“I care because you’re my friend,” said Benny, “And if you don’t care about yourself, someone has to. Maybe if someone cares for you, you may see that there’s a point to caring about you. And, yeah, you’re broken, but you’re not as broken as you think you are. You’re smarter than you think you are too.”

Dean doesn’t answer that. He’s not sure how to feel about that. Because it’s not like people haven’t said things like that to him, it’s just…it’s just  _he_ doesn’t think he can believe it himself. He doesn’t feel like he deserves thinking that.

“Oh yeah, and Dean, before I go I wanted to say…”

Dean looked to Benny.

“…Sorry. I know your friends with Cas, and I may have been a bit harsh. I’m only harsh because I don’t know much about the guy, but what I know is fishy.”

There was a pause.

“What do you know about Cas exactly, anyways?” asked Dean.

Benny sighed.

“Transferring is pretty rare at Hogwarts. The first person who I ever saw transfer before you was Cas. A lot of rumors go around about the guy, but what I know for certain is that he has connections to the school that he didn’t know about before he came or around the time he came. I also know the people who are supposedly related to him are not people you’d want to mess with. People who are his cousins, brothers, sisters - They run things that are above laws, or perhaps just avoiding them. If you want to know more, you should ask this guy.”

Benny took out a scrap of paper and scrawled something down. He handed it to Dean.

“Balthazar Novak? Who’s he?” asked Dean.

“Blonde. Tall. Seventh year Slytherin. He runs a lot of things on the down low. You can find him with this,” said Benny, handing Dean an old looking piece of parchment.

Dean flipped the paper, looking at both sides.

“How’s this supposed to help me?” asked Dean, “This has nothing on it.”

Benny grinned.

“Use your wand on it,” said Benny more in a whisper than anything else, “Place the tip of your wand on the parchment and say ’ _I solemnly swear I am up to no good_ ’. You’ll see why it’s great once you do that.”

Dean glanced at the doors of the Great Hall. Students were filing out swiftly, heading to their classes.

“Okay,” said Dean, “Thanks, Benny.”

Benny patted Dean’s shoulder.

“No problem, brother,” said Benny, disappearing into the ocean of teens and tweens.

Dean hid in a corner of the library after classes, glancing down at the piece of old parchment Benny had given him. He had been staring down at the parchment for a good fifteen minutes.

“Well?” asked Donna, “Are you gonna do something with that piece of paper or what?”

Dean jumped.

“Merlin’s Beard, where’d you come from?” asked Dean.

Donna blinked.

“I’ve been here for like ten minutes. Come on, Dean, I can see something magically weird happening from a mile away. Now, do what you’re supposed to be doing with the sheet of paper,” said Donna, glancing over at the paper.

“I’m doing something that’s probably dangerous. You sure you’re up to this?” asked Dean.

“I want to be an auror when I’m older, so I have to be up for danger. I thought you didn’t like danger, though,” said Donna.

Dean smirked.

“I’m fine with it if it’s something I can’t avoid,” said Dean.

Dean took out his wand, placing the tip on the parchment.

“I solemnly swear I am up to no good,” said Dean.

the parchment immediately sprung to life, revealing a map with names moving around.

“I think this is all of Hogwarts…Why’s Charlie Bradbury standing so close to Durmstrang’s Champion? Dorothy something?” asked Donna.

“I don’t try to think about questions like that. Come on, I see Balthazar on this. Let’s go,” said Dean, beginning to walk off.

“Wait-what? Balthazar? Why him? That weirdo gives me the creeps,” said Donna.

“For Cas. I have some questions that need answers,” said Dean.

Donna simply smiled, nodding as the found themselves at the entrance of the room of requirements, a tall blonde man standing nearby. It was the young man who dragged Cas away in the train.

“Hey!” said Dean, walking over to him, “You’re Balthazar right?”

The blonde man looked Dean and Donna up and down.

“And you…you are Dean Winchester, and this is Donna Hanscum. You two hang out with Cassie, right?” asked Balthazar, “Oh! Wait, no. You  _used_ to hang out with Cassie.”

Dean glared.

“We wanna know what’s going on,” said Donna. Balthazar turned his gaze to her, raising an eyebrow. She started stumble on her words, less confident in what she was saying. “Or-er-he does, I just sort of liked having more than two people I spoke to.”

“You’re a bit sad, aren’t you?” said Balthazar, “You know, I have potions for that. Ones that will get you friends.”

For a moment, Donna looked like she was interested. That was, until Dean gave her a look. She looked away awkwardly.

“I only want to know what’s up with Cas. I’m worried about him,” said Dean.

Balthazar sighed.

“Look - you seem like a sweet kid. And Cas talks about you a lot-”

“-He does?-”

“-Not the point. The point is that there are some things that wold be better for you to not know, for your own sake, and right now may not be the best time to hang out with Cas.”

Dean stepped forward.

“Does it look like I care about that? I’ve been in dangerous situations before. I can handle anything Cas throws at me,” said Dean.

“Why do you care?” asked Balthazar, “You’ve only been at this school for, what, two months? Why is being friends with my cousin so important to you?”

“Because Cas likes to watch the bees,” said Dean immediately and without even thinking, “Because Cas would wait out a whole class with wailing roots just to be able to have free time with the more popular flowers and watch the bees. Because Cas would rather watch the clouds outside and contemplate whether or not we should test lipstick on monkeys rather than face the crazy tasks we’re given every defense against the Dark Arts class. Because Cas looked at me and told me it was okay to be a Hufflepuff and he’s the only one who actually made me feel like it might be okay. Because he said he’d be my Meg, and I want to return the favor.”

Balthazar blinked.

“Yeah, I didn’t understand any of that,” said Balthazar.

“Me neither,” said Donna, “Who’s Meg? Is there a friend you have that I don’t know about? That’s not fair, Dean, I need more friends, you already have like ten!”

“It…It doesn’t matter. Can you tell me anything?” asked Dean.

Balthazar sighed.

“If you really want information, you should ask Cassie himself,” said Balthazar.

Dean was getting tired of dealing with Balthazar.

“Then where can I find Cas?” asked Dean.

Balthazar sighed.

“Check the Astronomy tower. He always liked high places,” said Balthazar, “Made him feel like he was flying when he was a little bit.”

Dean narrowed his eyes.

“You knew Cas before he came here, didn’t you?” asked Dean.

Balthazar merely grinned.

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out,” said Balthazar.

Dean walked up the Astronomy tower alone. Donna wasn’t fond of heights herself and decided to 'guard the entrance’. Reluctantly, Dean walked into the room at the top of the tower.

Cas had opened the ceiling, allowing the night sky to flood the roof. Constellations swarmed above them and Dean could only gaze up in awe at the view.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” asked Cas.

Dean slowly walked over to Cas, lying down next to him.

“Do you need help?” asked Dean.

Silence loomed in the air. Cas turned away from Dean.

“It’s none of your business,” said Cas.

Dean turned to Cas. Cas looked slumped. He was skinnier than before. He didn’t look too good. He wasn’t doing well. Dean didn’t know why, but he was sure this wasn’t _just_ the Triwizard Tournament.

“Look,” said Dean, rubbing his eyes, “I don’t have to know. I don’t need to know what you’re doing, not until you’re ready to tell me. Let me at least just help you.”

Cas turned to Dean.

“I can’t put others in harms way, my conscious won’t let me,” said Cas.

“Then let me help you with the Triwizard Tournament,” said Dean, “If I help you lift some of that burden, maybe that will at least help you.”

Cas smirked.

“You know that’s illegal, right?” said Cas.

Dean rolled his eyes, allowing himself to grin.

“Oh, like anybody cares.”

They both snickered, standing up.

“I’m glad I’ve become friends with you, Dean,” said Cas.

Dean’s grin only became bigger.

“Yeah,” said Dean, “Me too, Cas.”

 

_**TO BE** _ **CONTINUED…**


	7. The First Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/82066895430/spn-at-hogwarts-the-first-task
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: The First Task

Dean walked up to the entrance of the Ravenclaw Tower.

“I see you’re back,” said the bronze eagle knocker that chose who may pass into the common room.

Dean always jumped when he heard it. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t used to talking objects, just something about that eagle knocker always made him jumpy.

“Yeah, I’m meeting up with someone,” said Dean.

Dean was honestly very excited about the meeting he was going to. It was his first clandestine rendezvous with Cas about the Triwizard Tournament. Though he hated the fact that Cas was participating in such a dangerous event, he was glad he could at least help. Something about helping people, it just brought Dean’s life such meaning, especially the people he cared for greatly. He may not have known Cas for long, but they became quick friends, and something just kept drawing Dean closer and closer to the surprisingly mysterious guy.

“Which came first, the phoenix, or the flame?” asked the knocker.

Dean grinned. He hadn’t gotten a riddle wrong once since he started visiting the Ravenclaw Tower.

“A circle has no beginning,” said Dean.

“You’re very good at this. Maybe you should have been in Ravenclaw,” said the knocker, the door opening.

Dean felt a pang in his chest, a part of him dying.

 

“No,” he said with some strain, “I should have been in Griffindor.”

Dean walked into the familiar room. Dean loved this common room. Though he hated how high up it was, the warmth and light that came from the tall windows was wonderful and the ceiling, covered in painted stars that twinkled at their own accord, now reminded him of when Cas agreed to let Dean into his world, even if it was only for Dean to help him with the Triwizard Tournament.

“Dean, what are you doing here?”

Dean blinked, turning his gaze away from the ceiling. He saw Garth walking over, smiling but a bit confused.

“Oh, I’m here to meet a friend of mine,” said Dean.

“Like who? Charlie?” asked Garth.

Dean saw Cas walking over.

“Hello, Dean,” said Cas, probably standing too close to be normal. Something about it felt more comforting than awkward to Dean, though.

“Uh, this is Cas, Garth. Cas, this is Garth,” said Dean.

Cas turned his blue eyes to Garth, narrowing them. Garth simply glanced from Cas to Dean and smiled in a way that made Dean think he’d have a lot of feelings talks with Garth in the near future that he wasn’t quite looking forward to.

“Nice to meet you Cas - Dean, I have some friends I need to meet up with, so I’ll catch you later,” said Garth, patting Dean’s back as he walked briskly away from the two.

“You have Ravenclaw friends?” asked Cas, crossing his arms.

Dean blinked.

“Well…yeah. You and Donna aren’t my only friends, you know,” said Dean.

Annoyance was plastered on Cas’ usual pokerface.

“Yes, who can forget _Benny_ ,” said Cas.

“Hey, Benny’s a good guy, I swear. And, I’m also friends with Garth there and Charlie Bradbury,” said Dean.

Cas narrowed his eyes once more.

“I’m allowed to have friends!” blurted Dean.

Dean covered his mouth. It was weird - That was the first time he actually said that and  _believed it_. Dean was surprised he’d even say such a thing.

“Well, I suppose I can’t stop you from doing so,” grumbled Cas.

Dean snorted, breaking into a smile. He supposed Cas brought out those random outbursts of understanding of himself. He didn’t know how the nerdy dude did it, but Cas just had a talent of making Dean believe in himself.

“Are you going to try?” asked Dean, his smile becoming more playful.

Cas paused for a second, then turned away, walking to the door.

“Perhaps another time. There are more pressing matters to attend to. Come, Dean,” said Cas.

Dean followed Cas out of the common room and down the spiral staircase, staying quiet until they found themselves where the Room of Requirements supposedly was. A door appeared and the two walked in to a cozy room for only them.

Dean glanced around. Relaxing grey walls, chairs that looked comfier than anything in the castle, a warm fireplace with a fire already made, a table in between the two chairs. It was wonderful.

“Did you make this?”

“What?” asked Cas.

“Did you make it? You know, since this is the Room of Requirements, how much did you design yourself?” asked Dean.

Cas thought for a moment.

“The whole thing, I suppose,” said Cas, sitting down in one of the chairs, “I get picky about details sometimes.”

“Control freak,” Dean snickered, sitting down in the other chair.

“I’m not a control freak,” said Cas simply, “It’s just if you don’t have the specifics down to every detail, a plan could go wrong,  _very wrong_ , especially in battle. I’ve just gotten into the habit to do this with everything I do, I suppose.”

The room fell silent. Cas seemed to be in deep contemplation for a moment. Dean wondered what made Cas so…calculative.

Cas took out a sheet of paper from his bag, straightening it out on the table. Dean glanced at it, unsure of what to think. There was a box drawn on the paper, squiggles inside that Dean didn’t know. It took him a few minutes to realize what the squiggles were.

“Are those runes?” asked Dean curiously. Cas nodded, his eyes focused on the paper.

“Yeah, they are,” said Cas, taking out some other sheets of paper, “The paper there - that’s the clue I was given. Here are my notes so far.”

Cas handed Dean the sheets. Cas kept his gaze on the clue as Dean looked over the sheets.

Within the box drawn out on the clue at the top was one line of rune. Cas had managed to translate the line to " _I OPEN AT THE CLOSE_ “. The line under said, ” _BEFORE METAL THERE WERE FEATHERS_ “. On the very bottom of Cas’ notes, there was something that looked sort of like a "w”.

“Is that a ‘w’, Cas?” asked Dean, pointing it out to him.

Cas glanced up and shook his head.

“No, that’s a three. It was horizontal instead of vertical, though. I’m not sure why,” grumbled Cas.

Dean placed the notes down and glanced from the notes to the clue. Something about that rune seemed familiar.

“So that’s the rune for '3’?” asked Dean.

Cas sighed.

“Yeah.”

“Runes sometimes come from animal symbols, right?” asked Dean, hoping he wasn’t asking a stupid question.

Cas’ eyes jumped from the clue to Dean’s eyes.

“Yes,” said Cas.

Cas’ stare was intense, made Dean feel like he was under a magnifying glass. Half of Dean wanted to tense up, become hyper alert. Half of Dean…sort of liked the attention.

“Well, that symbol sort of reminds me of a runespoor,” said Dean.

Dean remembered seeing some when his father took he and Sam to Burkina Faso on a lead. It wasn’t a very fun trip, to say the least.

Cas glanced from Dean to the symbol with wide eyes.

“Dean, has anyone ever told you you are a genius?” asked Cas.

Dean wasn’t following.

“Maybe if I could connect the dots on these things. What is it?” asked Dean.

“A runespoor,” said Cas, grinning, “This task has something to do with a runespoor. Why else would the three be placed facing upwards. Whatever that riddle up there is must be something else, maybe something to protect or capture.”

And that’s when Dean remembered why “ _I OPEN AT THE CLOSE_ ” sounded so familiar.

“Quidditch,” said Dean.

Cas furrowed his brow.

“Huh?” asked Cas.

Dean grinned.

“ 'I OPEN AT THE CLOSE’. Do you know where that comes from?” asked Dean.

Cas shook his head.

“I don’t know anything about quidditch,” mumbled Cas.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“It’s not so much quidditch as  _history_. That phrase was famous because it popped up on a very important snitch. And do you know what were used before snitches?” asked Dean.

Cas groaned.

“Dean, you know that I know very little about history and quidditch. Just go ahead and say it,” said Cas, getting testy.

“Golden Snidgets,” said Dean.

Cas raised an eyebrow.

“Why do you know so much about quidditch, anyways?” asked Cas.

“Well, I’m actually pretty good at it,” Dean explained, “I was thinking about joining the quidditch team here, but I wasn’t…”

Dean faltered for a moment.

He wasn’t sure if he was actually going to stick around for the full year. It depended on whether or not his father decided to come and drag him out of school.

Something in Cas’ eyes told Dean Cas understood. Cas smiled understandingly.

“Maybe next year you’ll be able to join the team. Even if you’re on a different team, I’d cheer you on,” said Cas.

Dean could’t help but smile again.

“Thank you, Cas,” said Dean softly, “That means a lot.”

Cas furrowed his brow once more.

“Wait, but golden snidgets are endangered, aren’t they?” asked Cas.

Dean shrugged.

“There’s a reason why I’ve been against these games, Cas. They’re dangerous, not only to the participants, but to the ones dragged into them, even if they weren’t asked to be dragged in,” said Dean.

Dean couldn’t look Cas in the eye. He still didn’t understand why Cas was really doing this possibly suicidal tournament.

“I’m…I’m sorry I’m pulling you into this,” said Cas.

Dean looked up. Cas seemed very troubled by this.

“I know you have a little brother and I know it’s dangerous during Triwizard Tournaments to be close to the champions, to help them. I want you to know that I do not wish harm on you and I’ll do anything in my power to make sure nothing happens to you.”

Cas’ eyes were pleading.

“Cas, you know I chose to do this, right?” asked Dean, “I wouldn’t have suggested this if I didn’t already know the risks. Besides, I’m a big boy, I can take care of myself.”

Cas sighed, nodding.

“I know,” Cas said quietly, “But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t worry me.”

A huge stadium stood erect in place of the quidditch field. The crowd was loud and booming and Dean was not a fan of being in the seats, just waiting for the tournament to begin. He had half a mind to duck out and sneak into the backstage where the champions were to find Cas, hopefully make sure he took the proper precautions.

“Dean? You okay?”

Dean glanced to his younger brother.

“Yeah,” he said, slapping on a smile, “I’m okay.”

“I know you’re not,” said Sam, “I know you’re worried about that friend of yours. Cas, right?”

Dean blinked.

“Yeah…have I really been talking about him that much?” asked Dean.

Sam rolled his eyes.

“You talk about him _all the time_ , Dean. I’ve never met the guy, but I know the texture of his  _hair_ ,” said Sam.

Dean’s eyes widened.

“Really?” asked Dean.

Sam gave Dean his best bitchface.

“Really, Dean,” said Sam.

'Oh boy’, Dean thought, 'I guess I have been talking too much about the guy’.

The crowd quieted as all eyes were on the center of the stadium. There, there were strange white-lined markings, three squares. Those squares made Dean nervous. The champions began to walk out, each of them walking into their own box.

In the square spaces blocked off by white, there were two covered cages. Both shook ominously.

April Kelly, the champion of Beauxbatons, flinched, stumbling in a way that should have made her move outside of the box…but didn’t. she hit some sort of invisible shield.

Dorothy’s eyes widened, the Durmstrang champion moving her hand and touching the invisible wall.

For a moment, the two were both fine, curiously touching that wall. But then, it was if they were shocked, their bodies’ spasming as they both moved away from the wall.

“Capture the Golden Snidget.”

It was Professor Shurley.

And just like that, the coverings of the cage were gone,  _hell_ , the  _cages_ disappeared.

Dean couldn’t help but hold his thighs, his blunt nails providing uncomfortable pressure through his pants. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Cas. Dean couldn’t believe it. This was the first task.

The square couldn’t have been more than a couple of yards wide - not a lot a room to move with a _six to seven foot long_   _snake with three heads_ trying to attack either you or one of the fastest birds known to the wizarding world.

Cas was nothing like the young man Dean grew to appreciate and befriend. Cas’ face was usually relaxed. Cas was one to at least play off being carefree. He was someone who thought of others more than himself. He would rather heal someone than hurt them. The Cas Dean saw there…it made Dean wonder what Cas had gone through before his time at Hogwarts.

His face was not the pokerface Dean knew. It was serious, intense in a bad way. This was the glimpse Dean saw in the Room of Requirements - the Tactician. The Calculative Soldier. The Hammer. Something about it all just made Dean hurt because Dean could just  _tell_ that Cas did not want to be that.

It was Cas’ eyes, really. Usually they were pulling in a curious way, warm and welcoming to those around him. But Cas’ eyes, out there in that square…they were cold, lifeless. It was as if Cas was some moving statue, some angel of death that had come down to serve justice.

It  _scared_ Dean to see his friend like this. He would have done anything to stop Cas from doing this.

Dean heard a scream. Distracted, Dean turned his attention to Beauxbaton’s champion. One of the heads of the runespoor was biting on her arm  _hard_. She had stumbled, hitting her head onto one of the invisible walls. She scrambled for a knife she stashed in her pocket when she started to spasm, kicking the snack as she rolled to the middle of the square. She was finally able to get her knife out, swiftly cutting one of the snake’s three heads as the snake retreated.

Dean heard a bell ring as he panicked, looking over at Cas’ square. He was still battling the snake, trying to move closer to the golden snidget. Which meant…Dean turned his gaze to the Durmstrang Champion. Dorothy Baum was smiling smugly at the crowd as she held her golden snidget in hand, a group of wizards containing the runespoor.

Dean could see Charlie hopping over the wall between the stadium’s center and the seating area, rushing over to Dorothy. Charlie tackled her down to the ground as the two proceeded to make out right there…until some of the professors pulled them apart and ushered them out of the stadium.

Another bell could be heard and Dean’s eyes went directly to Cas.

Cas was covered in blood. Three heads flopped near him lazily, the snake body twitching. His face said nothing. His eyes seemed blank, as if staring into two deep holes of nothingness. He was beginning to breathe steadily. 

However…Cas was holding the golden snidget gingerly in his hands, coddling it. The snidget fluttered a bit in his hands, tweeting. Slowly, Cas glanced down and…his eyes became warm once more. He began smiling. Something from the Cas Dean knew from these past few months came to the surface.

The wizards who would have reprimanded the runespoor just stood in awe and slight horror as they watched Cas. Cas handed one of them the golden snidget and glanced over at April Kelly.

She had managed to cut off two out of three heads and was more preoccupied with grabbing the golden snidget. And finally - She squished it.

The whole crowd stared at her in complete silence. She had  _technically_ captured the golden snidget, but…

The wizards came and collected the remains of the golden snidget and whatever was left of the runespoor. A few of the wizards walked over to her and tended to her own wounds. She had a pretty nasty bite mark.

The three head masters walked into the stadium, conversing with one another.

“The rankings of the schools are as followed,” said Rektor Alistair, “In first place - Durmstrang. Second - Hogwarts. And last but not least - Beauxbatons. Thank you for joining us all for the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament.”

The crowd began to leave the stadium in waves. Dean and Sam stood up as they began to egress as well.

“Merlin’s beard, your friend is terrifying. Did you see what he did?” asked Sam.

Slowly, Dean shook his head.

“I got a bit distracted by some of the other things going on,” said Dean, “What happened?”

Sam’s eyes widened.

“Dean…he  _ripped_ those heads off. He did this weird  _hissing_ thing and the snake pounced on him, knocked his wand away, and he  _ripped the heads off_.”

Dean couldn’t find the words to respond. He couldn’t even imagine it. He understood why there was so much blood on Cas now. And then he thought of what happened to April, that gash on her.

“Sammy, I don’t think I want you to go see anymore of these tasks,” said Dean.

Sam glared.

“It’s not like I hadn’t seen anything like this when we were traveling with Dad,” said Sam.

“Weren’t you the one who said he wanted to be normal?” asked Dean, thinking back to that memory.

Sam blinked then nodded.

“It was…it was terrifying. Watching that. Maybe you’re right, Dean, maybe that tournament is going to kill someone,” said Sam.

Dean hugged Sam.

“Well, it’s not going to be you or me, at least,” said Dean.

Sam hugged back.

“But what about Charlie’s girlfriend? Your friend?”

Dean couldn’t think of a good response to that. He saw Jo waving for Sam to come.

“You should go see your friends. I need to check on Cas anyways,” said Dean.

“From what I hear from you, he seems like a nice guy, but Dean…Be careful about Cas, okay?” said Sam.

Dean wasn’t sure what Sam meant, because it didn’t sound as defensive as Benny.

“I know what I’m doing, Sam,” said Dean.

“I just don’t want to see you hurt,” said Sam.

Dean sighed.

“I’ll be fine. Now, go!” said Dean.

Sam ran off to the Griffindors, where he belonged. Dean watched them go and for the first time, Dean sort of felt okay that he  _wasn’t_ a Griffindor. Because being brave didn’t seem very important to him at the moment. All he could do was think about all that blood on Cas and wonder if Cas was  _okay_.

Dean turned, rushing over to the tents behind the stadium. He glanced around, snooping until he saw Cas. He was talking to someone, the runes teacher and the Head of Ravenclaw, professor Gabriel Shurley, rumored to be Chuck Shurley’s third eldest son.

Dean walked over to them and Professor Shurley merely smiled.

“Dean-o! So nice to finally meet you!” said Professor Shurley, grinning.

Something about that grin made Dean not trust that guy. Cas glared at the professor. Professor Shurley merely turned his smiling face to Cas.

“We’ll finish talking about this later, okay, Cassie?” said Professor Shurley.

It looked as if Cas was holding in a groan.

“ _Fine_ ,” spat Cas as he walked closer to Dean. Professor Shurley simply kept smiling, walking off.

“Hey, what was that about?” asked Dean.

Cas shook his head.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” said Cas.

“Speaking about worrying, are  _you_ okay? I mean, out there…you…”

Cas sighed.

“I don’t really remember what happened,” said Cas, “It was all sort of a blur, really.”

Cas was shaking. He was still covered in blood and no one seemed to have wanted to get close enough to him to heal his wounds. Dean pulled him into a hug.

“I wish you didn’t have to do this,” said Dean.

Dean could just feel Cas within his grasp, still shaking.

“Sometimes, there are no other choices,” said Cas, pulling away.

That’s when Dean went from worried to serious.

“There’s always a choice, Cas,” said Dean.

Cas laughed wryly.

“Where were you when I needed to hear that?” asked Cas.

“I was there,” Dean said, “Where were you?”

Cas looked down.

“I still can’t tell you anything,” said Cas quietly, “It’s too dangerous.”

Dean nodded.

“I already told you,” said Dean, “Just tell me what you can when you feel secure telling me.”

People began to usher into the back area of the stadium, moving towards the castle. Dean was only a foot or so away from Cas, but he felt so far away. There was distance between him and for the first time, it wasn’t Dean making the distance. The other person was building walls.  _Cas_ was pushing him away, and no matter how much he hated it, Dean could tell it was for good reason.

He couldn’t think of anything else to say to Cas.

 

_**TOO BE CONTINUED…** _


	8. The Hogsmeade Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/82271743017/spn-at-hogwarts-the-hogsmeade-trip
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: The Hogsmeade Trip

“You know, if you keep working like that, you’re going to make  _me_ pull a brain muscle,” said Charlie, glancing at Dean’s recent achievements.

Dean sat in the library, burying himself in his studies. He had been making notes on coming chapters, getting ahead on his work. He was surprised with how much he was able to do when he wasn’t trying to worry about some idiot with wondrously messy hair and the most beautiful blue eyes Dean had ever frigging seen.

“I’m not sure how I did it, really,” Dean said, turning his gaze to Charlie, “I feel like I just got in this trance, I think. I’m not sure if this school work stuff is good for me, I think I missed dinner.”

Charlie sat down next to him, giving him a worried look.

“You haven’t been going to a lot of dinners, recently,” said Charlie.

Dean paused for a moment, thinking.

“Yeah,” said Dean, “I guess I might have missed a few.”

Dean actually knew he was missing dinners. He was trying to avoid any place where he would see a certain someone that wouldn’t get him in trouble with classes. Even when that certain person was in class, he would make sure he’d sit away from him. Even when he sat next to Dean, tried to talk, Dean would stand up and find another seat, Donna following him.

“Are you even eating? You look skinnier,” said Charlie.

“Yeah, I’m eating. Benny is always able to get snacks from the kitchen after hours,” said Dean.

Charlie smiled and waved as Dorothy Baum walked over and sat with her girlfriend. Dorothy put her arm around Charlie’s shoulder and glanced over at Dean.

“So this is that Dean guy you’ve been talking about, right?” asked Dorothy.

Charlie nodded.

“Dorothy, this is Dean - Dean, Dorothy,” said Charlie.

Dean slapped on a smile.

“Nice to meet you.”

“You as well, though, you don’t seem to be in the best mood.”

“He’s having a little tiff with his friend, Cas,” said Charlie.

Dean glared at Charlie as Dorothy smiled.

“Oh, Castiel? The Champion for Hogwarts? A bit quiet for my tastes, but besides the way he took on that runespoor, he seems like a nice guy,” said Dorothy.

A shiver went up Dean’s spine. It was all Dean could see when he closed his eyes. Cas standing there, covered in bloody, lifeless snake heads around him twitching and contorting, his eyes empty and dark. It made Dean worry so much. It was as if Cas was a shell of himself and Dean didn’t know if Cas could bring himself back from that the next time.

Dean shoved the thought back. ‘No,’ Dean thought, 'This wasn’t my problem anymore’.

Dean gave the two a tight smile.

“He’s not my friend, Charlie. Not anymore,” said Dean, opening one of his several textbooks.

“Oh, don’t be such a drama queen. Of course you’re still friends with him, I can tell you’re worried,” said Charlie, rolling her eyes.

Dean sighed, closing the textbook.

“Maybe…Maybe I don’t want to be his friend anymore, okay? Maybe…I don’t want to worry about someone who’s obviously not going to be fully honest with me.”

Dean had said it quietly, barely a whisper. He was looking away from the two. He felt vulnerable, talking about this, because as much as he just wanted to not care, he  _did_. He cared so much that it  _scared_  Dean. Dean was throwing himself into work so that he wouldn’t be freaking out about how much he cared.

Dorothy and Charlie glanced from each other to Dean.

“I’ll let you talk to your friend,” whispered Dorothy, “I’ll see you later.”

Charlie nodded, sighing as Dorothy walked away. Dean gave Charlie a look.

“I’m fine,” said Dean.

“Dean, sometimes…sometimes it takes a while for someone to trust another,” said Charlie, “Now, I’ve heard the rumors. I’ve heard that Cas is shady business if there is any, but Dean…Dean, when I see you two together, I really see something special. I see a connection that you don’t usually have with people, and I don’t want you to just throw it away after one fight with the guy. I know it’s a lot to ask, but maybe you should just give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Dean closed his eyes, seeing that vision once more.

“It’s hard to say whether it’s worth it, Charlie,” said Dean, rubbing his eyes.

“Trust me, it’s worth it. I can just see it right there, man, I don’t know how you can’t. You need this, and he clearly needs you too,” said Charlie.

Dean shook his head.

“I’m not so sure about that,” said Dean.

For a while, they sat there in the silence of the library as Dean soaked in his thoughts. They were deep and depressing, those thoughts one usually had in the dark of night before sleep took over.

“Let’s go to Hogsmeade.”

Dean jumped, then glanced over at Charlie. She was grinning. Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Huh?”

She just kept grinning.

“Come on, this weekend’s a Hogsmeade weekend. You should come with me and Dorothy, it will be fun! You need a break from all of this, and Hogsmeade is  _really_ fun!” said Charlie.

Dean caved in to the request.

“Fine,” said Dean, weakly smiling, “It can’t kill me to go out.”

“Oh, buck up, Winchester, this is going to be awesome. I’ll even plan everything. You won’t have to worry about a thing. We’ll have a fun, relaxing weekend,” said Charlie, standing up and rushing out, probably to solidify the plans, leaving Dean to his studies once more.

Dean stood near the quidditch fields where the stadium once was. It had been dismantled for a week or so, but Dean can still see the stadium when he closed his eyes.

“You sure you don’t want to come, Donna? Charlie said she was preparing this whole day,” said Dean.

Donna groaned.

“I would if it weren’t for the fact that my mom’s up in Egypt for an archeology dig and she’s late sending my my permission slip,” said Donna.

Dean smiled.

“You sure you don’t want to sneak over there? I think I know a way to,” said Dean, thinking back to the Marauder’s Map.

Donna instantly shook her head.

“I’m not above the law, Dean. I’m gonna be an auror one day! What type of auror can I call myself if I broke rules just to sneak off to have fun?” Donna said, wide-eyed.

Dean shook his head.

“I can’t believe you’re such a dork,” said Dean.

Dean couldn’t believe someone could be such a good, straight arrow of a person.

“If I’m not a dork, what would I be? I’ve got nothing except my clean slate,” said Donna.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“Suit yourself,” said Dean.

Dean could see Charlie rush over. He stood up.

“Looks like your friend’s here. I’ll see you later,” said Donna, walking off.

“Yeah, have fun studying!” Dean said back to her.

Dean snickered as Donna groaned, trudging away.

“You ready, Dean?” asked Charlie, looping her arm around Dean and Dorothy’s arms.

“Do I have any choice in the matter?” asked Dean.

Dorothy smirked, shaking her head.

“No,” Dorothy said, “Not really.”

Dean sighed as they began walking down to the tiny wizarding village.

“You’re going to love it, Dean, I swear. We’ll even go to the Three Broomsticks first. I know how much you like butter beer,” said Charlie.

“I sort of like the other type of beer better,” grumbled Dean.

“Maybe if you can get Madam Rosmerta to give you it, but I highly doubt it,” said Charlie, “Trust me, that old woman does not sway from flirtation.”

They walked into the Three Broomsticks, loud noises engulfing them. The place was crowded as hell, a bit dim for Dean’s tastes, but warm and welcoming none the less. Students filled the room, almost all the seats taken.

“I think there’s a place over there!” shouted Dorothy as they moved through the blob of students that took up all the walking space.

Dean and Charlie sat down as Dorothy put her bag on a chair.

“I’ll get the drinks,” said Dorothy, pushing her way back through the crowd.

Dean glanced over to Charlie. She was all smiles.

“You really do like here, don’t you?” asked Dean.

Charlie laughed nervously.

“I don’t know, I haven’t known her too long. She’s good to me though, good  _for me_ ,” said Charlie, “I’m not sure where she’s going to take me, but I think I’d follow her to unknown lands if she asked me to.”

Dean pushed Charlie playfully.

“Come on, don’t tell me you’re going to follow her to the Scandinavian Peninsula?” said Dean, “Who will watch _Star Trek_ with me or even understand the concept of LARPing?”

Charlie snorted.

“She lives in the Netherlands, she just goes to school at Durmstrang. It’s not that far away, not with floo powder. Also, didn’t you show _Star Trek_ to Benny?” asked Charlie.

Dean groaned.

“Worst decision of my life. He doesn’t look at me in the same way. I can just sense it, he can smell the nerd on me,” said Dean.

“Come on, you know you love it. Give in to your inner nerd, Dean. You’ll thank me later when you do,” said Charlie.

“No way, man. I have enough issues as is at school, I don’t need 'nerd’ to be another notch in my outcast belt,” said Dean.

“You’re not an outcast, Dean. People just think you’re weird,” said Charlie, shrugging.

“Yeah, that’s just so much better,” said Dean.

Charlie snickered. Dorothy came back with drinks.

“Merlin’s beard, this place is crowded as hell. You’d think they’d give me more respect. I  _won_ the first task,” grumbled Dorothy.

Charlie rubbed her back.

“I’m sorry, Dorothy. I’m sure you’ll show them once you win the next task,” said Charlie.

Dorothy’s smile turned into a line ones the word 'task’ came up. She became quiet, more contemplative. It sort of scared Dean, the way Dorothy reacted to that word. It made Dean wonder what the hell Dorothy had gotten for a clue for the second task. It made Dean wonder about…well, he swat that thought away before it could even fully form.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up,” said Charlie.

Dorothy sighed, shaking her head.

“No,” she said, taking Charlie’s hand and squeezing it, “It’s fine. I’m sorry I acted so weird. Today’s supposed to be fun. Now, come on. Let’s drink up.”

They walked out of the Three Broomsticks, laughing at one of Dorothy’s jokes. Dorothy and Charlie glanced at each other. Dorothy nodded. Something about that should have seemed suspicious to Dean, but he decided to ignore the little exchange.

“Sorry, but I said I’d say hi to one of my friends while I was in Hogsmeade. I’ll meet you guys at Honeyduke’s, okay?” said Dorothy, waving as she left.

“Come on, Dean,” said Charlie, guiding him through Hogsmeade, “I have to pick something up at Dogweed and Deathcap for potions.”

Dean blinked.

“Really?” said Dean.

“Hey - You never took Fourth Year Potions. You don’t know what I need for my classes, especially with frigging Crowley. He’s going to be the death of me,” groaned Charlie.

“Oh, come on, potions isn’t that bad,” said Dean.

Charlie rolled her eyes.

“Dean, I’ve seen you near that Professor. You suck up a bit. You’re practically besties,” said Charlie.

Dean shrugged.

“I don’t control who gets attracted by my magnetic personality,” said Dean, flashing his winning smile.

“Yeah. Personality. Definitely not your looks,” said Charlie.

Dean cringed.

“Okay, ew, no,” said Dean.

Charlie glanced at Dean.

“No why?” asked Charlie.

“He's  _old_. At least fifteen years older than us. No way, and besides, he almost gives me as many creeps as Professor Gordon, and if it weren’t for the fact that it’s only been creepy intense eyesex, I’d have asked for a restraining order a long time ago,” grumbled Dean.

It made Dean insecure, really. The fact that people, whether they were men or women, older or younger, just…hit on him. Gave him those  _looks_ that made Dean uncomfortable. Dean didn’t like that sort of attention. That didn’t mean he didn’t know how to use it to his own advantage, though.

“I’m sorry people are like that to you, Dean,” said Charlie.

Dean shook his head.

“It’s not your fault I attract the attention. You learn how to live with it, you know?” said Dean.

Charlie nodded.

As soon as they walked into the herbology shop, Dean saw him. Hell, Dean could have seen him from a mile away. He didn’t know why, but once he saw them, he knew he would always be searching for those blue eyes. He hated himself for looking for those eyes.

Without any time to register what was happening, Charlie pushed Dean _hard_. Dean stumbled, hitting something and tumbling to the ground, taking whatever it was down with him. When Dean began to get up, Dean faltered. He saw what he brought down with him.

“Dean?”

Dean jumped off him immediately, trying to pry his eyes away from those blue eyes. He turned and Charlie was gone. Dean swore. He should have known.

“Hey!” shouted Dean as he began to walk towards the exit of the herbology store.

Cas grabbed his wrist.

“Wait!” blurted Cas.

Dean stopped immediately.

“Just…just wait.”

Dean could feel the warmth from that hand around his wrist. It was a welcomed warmth, and for a moment, Dean thought he felt so cold before that warmth. The thought scared Dean, but he didn’t run from it.

Cas walked around, slowly letting go of Dean’s wrist. Dean missed the calming heat, but he wouldn’t tell that to Cas.

“Let’s…Let’s go somewhere else and talk,” said Cas.

Dean closed his eyes and saw that image again. The bloodied, almost  _soulless_ looking Cas. Something clicked in Dean’s head. It wasn’t that Dean was terrified of Cas. He was scared of  _losing Cas_ , losing that warmth.

“I…I guess we could,” said Dean quietly.

Just because Dean resolved that issue in his head didn’t mean he wasn’t still pissed about how Cas didn’t trust him enough to tell him everything.

Dean followed Cas to Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop and Dean could swear that all eyes were on the two of them. That was when Dean noticed that all the people in there were couples, except for the weird lonely guy in the corner. 'Oh Merlin, I’m not ready for this step’. The thought popped into Dean’s head without consent and Dean didn’t know what to make of it except that it horrified him and he didn’t feel comfortable in this shop.

“Come on, Dean, have a seat,” said Cas.

Dean sat down, feeling oddly tall for the chair.

“Are you sure you want to talk? _Here_?” asked Dean.

Cas furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean? Meg and I always used to talk here,” said Cas.

Dean gulped. That made Dean wonder more about Cas and Meg’s relationship.

A waiter came by and placed two cups down with something in them. Dean didn’t remember ordering anything.

“They know what I like here. I guess they just assumed you’d drink the same thing I’d drink. You should try this coffee, Dean. It’s good,” said Cas.

Dean took a sip and hated it immediately.

“Sugar?” asked Dean.

Cas pointed to a small bowl. Dean wished he could just grab the bowl and dump all of it into his black coffee unceremoniously, but Dean was in public. Dean hated cafes.

Dean began to shovel huge chunks of sugar into his coffee as classily as possible. Cas began to laugh.

“What?” asked Dean.

“You’re holding your pinky out,” said Cas.

“I’m being fancy.”

“You’re being five-year-old fancy,” said Cas.

Dean scrunched his face up.

“Shut your pie hole, you’re the reason I got freaking black coffee,” said Dean.

“What, you’d rather have tea?” asked Cas.

Dean shook his head.

“Merlin, no, I’d rather have _beer_ ,” said Dean.

Cas smirked.

“Well, maybe that could be arranged at a later date.”

For a moment, Dean and Cas were just grinning at each other, staring, just happy to be in each other’s presence.

Then, Dean remembered Cas was not to be trusted.

Cas frowned.

“What?” asked Cas.

Dean was glaring at him. Cas shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He sighed.

“I’m…I’m not very good with people, Dean,” Cas began, “My 'people skills’ are 'rusty’. I’ve never had a lot of friends, and the people around me haven’t exactly been very trusting people, even people I’ve trusted the most. I’m scared. I’m scared that you’re going to get hurt because of me, because I trusted the wrong people. I’m scared of trusting you because…what if I’m wrong about you?”

“Cas, I wouldn’t hurt you, not if I could help it,” Dean said without a thought.

Cas smiled sadly.

“Yeah. Me neither. I’m not sure if I trust myself to keep that promise, though,” said Cas.

Something about that look in his eyes worried Dean. Without thinking, Dean grabbed Cas’ hand.

“Hey - you’re not going to hurt me. I trust you at least on _that_ ,” said Dean.

Cas sighed. Something in him relaxed.

“You may be the only one who thinks that,” said Cas.

Cas placed money down on the table and stood up.

“Come with me,” said Cas.

Dean blinked.

“Where?” asked Dean.

Cas smiled.

“You said you were going to help me with my  _project_ , didn’t you?” asked Cas.

Dean understood immediately. He nodded, walking out with Cas.

“This is it?” asked Dean.

Cas nodded.

“Yeah,” said Cas.

They were outside, near the Forbidden Forest’s edge. Cas had handed Dean a leaf, a tiny, bizarre looking leaf.

“I had gone into Hogsmeade to do research on the plant, see if my theory was correct without checking it literally, but Dogweed and Deathcap was no help on the matter,” explained Cas.

Dean moved the leaf in his hand.

“What’s your theory?” asked Dean.

“I think it’s a plant from the Forbidden Forest. I made a meeting with someone who…knows more about the Forbidden Forest, but I was hoping that it didn’t have to come to that. I was honestly hoping I was wrong.”

Dean knew it wasn’t a good sign when Cas was not looking forward to a meeting.

“Do you want me to come with you to the meeting, then?” asked Dean.

“Dean, it’s going to be dangerous. We could die just by trying to go to this meeting if we’re not careful.”

That’s when Dean knew. The meeting was in the Forbidden Forest. Dean just smiled.

“So, what, I’m Thelma and you’re Louise and we’re just going to hold hands and sail off this cliff together?” asked Dean.

Cas tilted his head.

“I don’t think there will be a cliff, if that worries you.”

And that’s when Dean remembered that was not a reference wizards would understand without living in the muggle world.

“I’ll go with you,” said Dean.

“Are you sure? I mean, you saw what I did during the first task.”

Dean didn’t stop smiling.

“Do you think I was scared because of that?” asked Dean, shaking his head, “I’m sorry, but you don’t get to just cut me out of your life like that. Even with the crap I saw, I’d rather have you than not.”

Cas laughed.

“I wouldn’t recommend that decision,” said Cas.

“Oh please,” said Dean as they began to walk into the Forbidden Forest, “Like anything I do is what people deem a 'good recommendation’.”

Dean and Cas found themselves surrounded by a group of centaurs. Dean tensed up, becoming hypersensitive. He didn’t like their odds. This could become very ugly fast if they weren’t smart.

“Cas, I think we should - ”

Before Dean could finish his thought, Cas began talking.

“I’m here to talk to Firenze,” called Cas. A centaur walked in front of the rest.

“Castiel. I knew our paths would cross once more,” said the centaur.

Dean glanced from Cas to the centaur, wondering why Cas had met a centaur. They weren’t much for talking to wizards and it was not like it was technically allowed for either of them to go into the Forbidden Forest.

Cas held out the leaf.

“You said you knew a thing or two about this forest,” said Cas, which should have been a big DUH to the little nerdy dude, but this was Cas of the rusty people skills, “Can you tell me about this leaf? Does it come from here?”

Firenze took the leaf and gazed at it.

“Yes. It’s comes from a plant that grows deep in the Forbidden Forest, where Erklings used to live,” said Firenze.

“Erklings? You mean those things that used to go around eating little kids?” asked Dean.

Firenze handed the leaf back to Cas and turned his attention to Dean. Dean suddenly felt very naked.

“Dean Winchester. It makes sense that you would be here. I’m sure I will see you soon enough as well…but, yes. The problem is the tense. They  _still_ eat children.”

Dean shivered at the thought. He thought they were basically extinct or at least put down enough to stop doing things like that by the Ministry.

“It was nice to meet you, Dean. Goodbye, Castiel. We will meet once again soon,” said Firenze.

All the Centaurs began to egress from the area, leaving Cas and Dean alone in the middle of the forest. Dean and Cas began to walk back to Hogwarts.

“So it _will_ have to do with the Forbidden Forest,” said Cas.

“And Erklings. Those things are supposed to be dangerous, Cas,” said Dean.

“The most disconcerting part of this all is that this is only part of the hint,” said Cas.

Dean’s eyes widened.

“I thought you said this  _was_ the hint. You know, the  _whole_ hint,” said Dean.

“This is all they gave us. We get the second part soon,” said Cas.

Dean didn’t like the sound of that. He didn’t like the sound of that one bit.

“It better not be the thumb of some little kid,” said Dean.

“I don’t think that would be allowed,” said Cas.

“Did you see what happened in the first task? Pitting you up against a level xxxx monster shouldn’t be allowed, especially in the close quarters you were with that snake,” said Dean.

Cas shrugged.

“There’s not much I can do. I can’t back out, I signed a contract once I put my name in that goblet. I just have to survive,” said Cas.

“And I’ll make sure you’ll survive, I’ll do my best to,” said Dean.

“Sometimes, I wonder if you’re the only one thinking that,” said Cas quietly.

“Even if I am, I’ll make sure of it. I swear, Cas, I’ll be here for you,” said Dean.

Cas stopped, turning to Dean and gazing at him.

“Thank you for that,” Cas said, and Dean couldn’t help but stare back.

_**TO BE** _ **CONTINUED…**


	9. The Second Task

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/82753966753/spn-at-hogwarts-the-second-task
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: The Second Task

Dean was dreaming. He didn’t remember when he realized it was a dream nor when he fell asleep in the first place, but Dean was dreaming. He was sitting outside on a nice, relaxing chair.

There was a forest surrounding him, filled with tall, looming trees. They weren’t intimidating, no, nor were they sinister in any way. They seemed ancient yet lackadaisical, the imaginary breeze rustling their leaves in lazy outbursts. The lake nearby was calm, still except for the small waves made by the light breeze. The lake’s water was dark, almost murky, but the darkness to the lake wasn’t completely due to the water itself. Dean could just tell, the lake was  _deep_.

Dean…Dean was fishing. He didn’t remember the last time he actually went fishing. It was probably with Bobby. He remembered years back when John had decided to ‘homeschool’ Dean rather than send him to Hogwarts, Bobby had taken Dean and Sam for a weekend. There were no monsters, no evil wizards to search for, no curses to worry about. There was just a nice, small vacation in a little cabin on a mountain next to a lake where he and Bobby would fish for lunch and dinner. Sam used to dip his toes into the lake, his pants legs rolled up and a banana and peanut butter sandwich in hand as he curiously watched the ripples he made. It was one of the funnest vacations Dean had ever had in his life. For that small point in time, Dean could forget what he had to do. He could be someone else for a small period of time, just a kid who was out with his uncle and brother. Sometimes, Dean wished he could be that kid.

But Dean knew better.

That didn’t mean Dean couldn’t appreciate the dream. He smiled, holding his fishing rod as he fished in relaxation, hoping the fake fish would never come, that he could just sit there forever, gazing at the lake.

 

“Dean.”

Dean glanced behind him. He saw Cas walking up in his usual formal attire.

Well, that was weird. Dean didn’t usually dream about other people. Unless…

“Nah, man, wait a second,” said Dean, nervously laughing, “What the hell?”

Cas tilted his head.

“Excuse me?” asked Cas, genuinely confused.

“Are you just here to hang out, Cas, or…”

Dean wasn’t sure what he was about to say. Cas just gave him a look that Cas would never give him, this 'what the hell are you talking about’ sort of look.

“Cas? Do you mean Castiel? You think I’m Castiel?”

Something about that voice…sounded weird. It wasn’t deep or gravelly like Cas’ voice regularly was. It seemed…a bit higher…and more like a girl?

Dean blinked.

“What do you mean?” asked Dean.

Dreams were weird. That’s what Dean concluded.

Cas shook his head vigorously.

“No, Dean, you’re still dreaming. Wake up! Merlin’s beard, I thought I woke you up five minutes ago - WAKE UP!”

Cas raised his hand, slapping Dean full on across the face.

Dean groaned, his vision becoming shaky. The lake and forest around him was shifting in and out to a more grave situation, with menacing trees and darkness around him. Cas was changing from, well, Cas to this girl that Dean had never seen before. She was just staring down at Dean, shouting something. She was around Dean’s age, but she wasn’t wearing the uniform. She couldn’t have been from Hogwarts, then. Which made Dean wonder…where the hell was he?

Dean tried to move, but he couldn’t. It was horrifying, his body wasn’t doing what his brain was commanding.

“Dean, Dean, calm down, CALM DOWN!” shouted the girl.

Dean stopped twitching and spasming. He turned his gaze to the girl and tensed up. She rolled her eyes.

“Screw you, Winchester, I didn’t kidnap you,” grumbled the girl, “I’m Meg, by the way. I mean, I told you this  _five minutes ago_ , but it looks like you were still asleep.”

Meg. He remembered something about a Meg. He closed his eyes, trying to remember what it was.

“Cas,” Dean croaked as he opened his eyes, “You’re Cas’ friend or something, right?”

Meg sighed.

“Well, sort of,” said Meg, “Not really anymore, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that we keep you safe.”

Dean looked around. They were in a forest somewhere, Dean could at least tell that. It wasn’t a place he’d ever been, though.

“What’s going on? Where are we?” asked Dean, relaxing a bit. Meg hooked her arms under Dean’s and began dragging him farther and farther away from a certain giant tree. Dean couldn’t feel himself moving, but he was sure that he was going to sometime after this.

“We are in the forbidden forest and you’re part of the second task,” Meg said, pausing to take a break, “You’re heavy. Stop eating all those goddamn pies.”

“Hey! - Wait, how do you even know I like pie?” asked Dean, feeling a bit naked.

Meg snorted.

“Just because I’m not really in Cas’ good graces at the moment doesn’t mean I don’t get information about him from certain sources,” said Meg.

It was strange, being there with Cas'  _Meg_. Dean had heard only a few things about her, but all were good. It made Dean wonder why Meg was talking as if Cas was angry at her, why she was getting all her information from someone else.

“The way Cas talks about you, I thought he wrote to you everyday,” said Dean.

Meg smiled.

“That sounds like something Clarence would do. He wasn’t one to talk bad about others, but…trust me, he’s pissed at me. If he was right here, right now, he’d be shouting himself horse trying to get me to go away and leave you alone,” said Meg.

“And why’s that?” asked Dean.

Meg sighed.

“Because I betrayed him in a way that would make it impossible for him to forgive me…that doesn’t matter right now though,” said Meg, moving Dean once more, “What’s important is to make sure you don’t die.”

That was when Dean remembered something Meg said only moment before. He was  _part_ of the second task. As in, Dean was part of the tournament he had been telling people he avoided because he knew it was a potentially deadly thing to be part of. Dean began to try to move once more, but all he could do was jerk and flinch.

“Hey, stop that, it makes it hard to help you if you’re squirming like that,” said Meg.

She stopped, putting Dean down again and taking a breather.

“What…what is this task, anyways?” asked Dean.

Meg smirked.

“You were drugged yesterday and dragged into the Forbidden Forest by an Erkling. You, and two others. Cas is supposed to find you near the Erkling territory and bring you back to Hogwarts school grounds,” explained Meg.

Dean thought for a moment.

“Why are you moving me, then?” asked Dean.

Meg sighed.

“If the champions didn’t get to their most important people by night fall, then the Erklings were supposed to do whatever the hell they wanted to with you. Well, turns out, Acromantulas have a fondness of Erklings and humans alike, so they went ahead and screwed everything up. They ripped half of the Erklings apart, ate the rest, and dragged the champions’ 'special people’ over to their nest to devour them.”

Dean’s eyes widened.

“Why didn’t the school think about that?” asked Dean, half in hysterics.

“Maybe because the higher ups in some of these schools aren’t exactly looking out for their students, especially a certain Winchester who’s gotten a bit too close to a very important person,” Meg replied curtly.

Dean had this sinking feeling.

“You know, I kept telling people this tournament was a bad idea,” said Dean.

“Looks like you were the only one who understood the atmosphere of the situation, then,” said Meg, “You’re important, Dean Winchester. If you die, there’s no way to stop Cas on his path to destruction.”

Before Dean could ask another question, he heard an ominous sound in the distance. Meg swore, lugging Dean around a tree.

“Was that one of those - uh -”

“- What about you just shut up and not think about what that was but  _how not to die while you’re paralyzed_?” hissed Meg as quiet as she could as she glanced around the tree. She swore again.

“What is it?” asked Dean, “I’d like to know what I’m going to get _killed by_.”

“You’re not going to die, Dean Winchester,” Meg said, “I’m going to make sure of that! And…it’s an Erkling. A few of them must have wondered away before their whole pack was _decimated_.”

She took out her wand, then glanced at Dean.

“Stay quiet,” said Meg.

Before Dean could protest, she ran out into the open, shouting, “EXPULSO!”

Dean could hear explosions and screeching noises. Dean closed his eyes, trying not to think about what was going on. He tried to think about what he knew of what was going on.

Dean didn’t get it. Why? Why would Dean be Cas’ “important person”? Dean had only known Cas for a few months and it’s not like Dean had been on the best of terms with Cas for all of that time. Dean didn't  _feel_ important. 

“Merlin’s beard, those Erklings just didn’t know when to quit.”

Meg walked back into view. Blood covered her shirt and she had quite a few scratches. She grabbed Dean and began to drag him again. Dean was starting to feel the wetness of the blood from her shirt on his head, feel the drag of the dirt and rocks on the forest floor.

“I - I think I’m starting to get movement back,” said Dean.

Meg paused, catching her breath. Dean tried to move his hand. His foot moved instead.

“Huh,” said Dean.

“What?”

“See that?” said Dean, his foot moving, “That’s me trying to move my left hand.”

Meg groaned.

“Great,” said Meg, “That’s just great.”

“Hey! You’re not the one who’s playing with a glitchy remote control for your body,” hissed Dean.

“Well, I’m not the important one here!” retorted Meg.

“I don’t see why I’m so important! Thanks for the help, but I’m just  _not_. I don’t know what you think Cas and I are, but we’re not that close, I’m not that important to him or anyone else for that matter.”

Meg blinked, her face softening.

“Oh, Dean,” she said, “You’re more important than you’ll ever know.”

Dean started to get used to what his brain was awkwardly doing.

“I think I can walk,” said Dean, trying to change the subject. 

Dean hated talking about himself. It never ended well whenever he talked about himself. He never felt good about it in the end, at least.

Meg raised an eyebrow.

“Try,” said Meg.

Dean slowly stood up, his feet wobbling a bit. He began to shakily walk on his own. He was walking a bit robotically, but he was walking.

“Well, look at you,” said Meg.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“Don’t patronize me,” grumbled Dean, “Where are we going, anyways?”

“Back over to the Erkling nest. It will still be dangerous, but the Erklings aren’t allowed to eat you until after sundown. That’s better than staying with the spiders,” explained Meg, “That’s also where the champions are  _supposed_ to find their people.”

A shiver went up Dean’s spine. He turned to Meg.

“What?” asked Meg.

“What about the others?” asked Dean, “You didn’t just take  _me_ and leave the other people with the spiders, did you?”

Meg said nothing.

“ _Did you_?” asked Dean, panicking, because Dean was sure who Dorothy’s person was.

“There was…There were two girls other than you,” said Meg calmly, “A redhead and a Beauxbatons girl, from my intel, I think her name was Tessa?”

Dean Glared at her.

“You LEFT THEM?” shouted Dean, losing his concentration as he fell to the ground, “You left them and took _me_?”

“They weren’t important, Dean,” shouted Meg.

“They’re more important than  _me_. Go get them. Save them, not  _me_. I could never forgive myself if Charlie and that girl died because someone chose me over them,” said Dean, his breathing becoming uneven.

He hated this. He had no real control over his body, and in this weakened state, he couldn’t do anything to help. He couldn’t fight like this, hell, he could barely  _walk_. Everything seemed to be spiraling out of Dean’s control and he could do nothing about it.

“Not everything’s about  _you_ , Dean!” blurted Meg, “You think I want to save you? Put my life in jeopardy because of  _you_? Hell no! I’m doing this because if you die, there’s no way to stop Cas from choosing the wrong decision. I don’t care about you. I don’t care about any of them. I care that Cas makes the right choice, and you’re the only person in his good graces right now.”

That’s when everything stops in his head. He’s only been thinking about himself this whole time. He hasn’t thought once about what Meg meant about  _Cas_.

“What’s wrong with Cas?” asked Dean.

He knew Cas was in something shady, in deep in something bad, but he wasn’t sure how far Cas had gone down that path. Meg’s eyes became sad, distant.

“He’s not in a good place…and it’s partially my fault. But he could change before it’s too late -  _you_ could help him stop this all before it goes spiraling out of control!”

For a moment, they were silent. She helped Dean up.

That was when they heard a sound. A horrible, gut-wrenching sound.

Meg swore again.

“What?” asked Dean, wishing he could do more.

“Run,” said Meg, “Run that direction. Run as fast as you can and don’t look back.”

Dean shook his head.

“I’m not leaving you, Meg,” said Dean.

“You have no choice….Go. Protect you brother. Save my unicorn.”

Dean didn’t understand, but before he could say anything, she shouted a spell Dean didn’t know, his feet beginning to walk on their own. He hated himself for doing this, leaving her behind to whatever fate was coming. Dean was alone in the woods, his feet moving him to an unknown location.

Dean collapsed when he found himself in what seemed to be a wrecked camp. He lay there for what seemed to be hours, tired and unsure of what to feel about his whole situation.

'Maybe I shouldn’t have come to Hogwarts’.

That was the first thought to pop into his head. Because now, he was stuck in the wood, alone and unsure of what will happen to him. Because now, he was drawn into a deadly game. Because now, he cared for someone in a way that terrified him and that person may be involved in something very,  _very_ dark.

Slowly, Dean began to gain real movement in his limbs. Not just the weird wires crossed sort of movement he had earlier, the I-actually-move-my-hand-when-I-think-about-moving-my-hand sort of movement.

Suddenly, someone grabbed Dean and pushed him into a tree. Dean groaned, feeling groggy and a bit too weak to do much about anything

“ _Where is she_?” hissed the girl, “ _Where’s Tessa_?”

He looked into April’s eyes. They were desperate, panicking. She was breathing uneven. She had cuts and bruises everywhere. Her old wound from the first task was beginning to reopen. She was in bad shape.

“Acromantula,” said Dean, “The spiders came, killed the Erklings, and dragged everyone away. I…I think they thought I was _dead_ so they left me.”

April glanced at Dean and touched the back of his head. The blood Meg had on her that rubbed off on his head. Dean never thought he could be so grateful for someone to accidentally get blood in his hair.

April sneered at Dean and dropped him. Dean felt a pang in his hip as April left him there.

Dean slowly stood up, trying to gage his surroundings. He slowly began to walk, away from that place. He could just  _sense_ the danger lingering, and without his wand, how the hell was Dean suppose to do anything against an Erkling in his state?

He didn’t know why, but something pulled him to a river. A random river somewhere in the forest. At first, Dean thought he was hallucinating. He couldn’t believe that he would even havethat sort of luck.

“Cas?” called Dean.

The young man didn’t move away from his spot. He was in horrible shape and was using the stream to wash his face. Dean just staggered towards Cas. He didn’t care if it was a hallucination or real, it was some form of Cas and Dean really needed  _something_.

Cas stood and turned to Dean, staring in awe. Dean pulled him into a hug without a thought, the warmth of Cas’ body soothing.

“It’s so good to see you,” said Dean, his body relaxing the instant he held onto Cas.

“Dean?”

Dean’s body stopped working for a moment as he toppled over to the ground again. Dean groaned, really hating whatever the triwizard tournament wizards did to him.

“Dean! Dean, are you okay?” blurted Cas, falling to his knees next to Dean.

Dean let out a winded laugh.

“Cas, I don’t think any of us are,” said Dean.

Cas grabbed Dean and pulled Dean into his own hug.

“Dean…Dean I was so scared. I got your mom’s picture as my last clue and I knew something  _happened_ and when you weren’t at the Erkling’s hideout, when everything was in a mess, I knew something went wrong. I didn’t know what to do. I thought you were going to die, and if you died…I can't  _lose_   _you_. I’d do everything in my power to make sure you were alive.”

Cas was shaking, holding Dean’s body tightly. Slowly, Dean hugged Cas back.

“It’s okay,” said Dean, “I’m fine. I’m okay. We need to get out of here, though, before something comes that we can’t defend against.”

Cas came to his senses, nodding as he stood up. He pulled Dean up and put Dean’s arm over his shoulder, helping Dean walk.

“I understand. I barely survived a clash with an acromantula. I don’t understand why the headmasters didn’t think about those spiders when they came up with this task,” said Cas.

Dean noticed Cas was walking with a limp himself. Dean thought back to what Meg had said.

“What if they didn’t account for them on purpose?” mumbled Dean.

For a moment, they were silent, shakily walking through the Forbidden Forest.

“Hey, uh…When was the last time you saw Dorothy?” asked Dean, “She’s not a bad person and I was wondering if she was semi-okay.”

Cas’ contemplative face softened.

“She was doing fine the last time I saw her,” said Cas, “We actually made a small pact just before the task started. If one of us finished before the other, that one would go back in and make sure the other was okay and be back up.”

Dean smirked.

“Now, wouldn’t that be cheating?” asked Dean.

Cas smiled.

“We concluded that lives were more important than winning during this task,” explained Cas.

Dean nodded.

“I know my opinion’s not much, but I think the both of you made the right choice,” said Dean.

“Oh, Dean,” said Cas, leaning onto Dean a bit, wincing from walking on his obviously twisted ankle, “You’re opinion means more than you know.”

Both of them stopped when they heard noises all around them. They both tensed. They were surrounded and neither of them were really in good shape to fight. Dean didn’t know when they found each other’s hands, but Dean squeezed Cas’ hand. Cas squeezed back. Dean knew it didn’t help, but it at least made Dean feel a bit better, that Cas was by his side, even if this could be the end.

Centaurs walked towards them in all directions, encircling the two.

“I told you we would meet once more, Castiel, Dean,” said Firenze.

Firenze walked towards the both of them and sat down.

“Get on,” said Firenze.

Dean and Cas didn’t argue, they were too tired to argue. 'At least I’ll die sitting down if I die’ thought Dean warily as they collapsed on the back of the centaur. Firenze galloped to the edge of the forest and let them down.

“Walk on your own from here,” said Firenze.

Dean glanced at Firenze.

“Why are you helping us?” asked Dean.

“You’ll know soon enough,” said Firenze.

With that, Firenze rode off, leaving them behind.

Slowly, Dean and Cas began to walk once more, staggering out to the area between the Forbidden Forest and the quidditch field. Neither of them  _cared_ , but they could hear the roaring of the crowd, the Hogwarts students showing their school pride. A terrified Sammy ran over to Dean, stumbling as he went, and hugged Dean tightly.

“Dean, I was so worried about you!” said Sam, half-crying as he squished his face into Dean’s chest.

Dean couldn’t stop himself from tearing a bit. He felt horrible. He felt like the worst older brother ever. He should have never made Sam so worried.

“I - I’m sorrry, Sam. I’m so sorry. I’m fine, okay?” said Dean.

“No, you’re not!” shouted Sam, Glaring up at Dean, “You always say you’re okay when you never are.”

Dean faltered, unsure of what to say. Sam let go of Dean and rushed over to Cas, hugging him. Cas froze, unsure of what to do.

“Thank you,” said Sam, “Thank you for bringing my brother back to me.”

Cas just stood there, looking down at Sam.

“Now’s the part where you hug back,” said Sam.

“Oh. Right. Uh, sorry,” said Cas, awkwardly hugging back.

Dean smiled for a moment, seeing his two favorite people having such a touching moment. He stopped when he remembered Dorothy and Charlie.

“Have you seen Charlie?” Dean asked.

Sam turned to Dean, confused. He shook his head.

“I haven’t seen her all day, why?” asked Sam.

Dean could feel all his fatigue crash down on him as he turned to Cas. Cas began to turn, going back into the forest, but Dean grabbed his shoulder.

“Wait, no Cas!” said Dean.

Cas turned to Dean expectantly.

“You’re no help in that state. You can barely, walk,” said Dean, trying to calm Cas down.

Cas looked away from Dean, swearing under his breath.

“I know it’s selfish, but I’d rather you stay safe here than go back out there. I mean, look at your ankle,” said Dean.

Before Cas could say anything back to Dean, April was seen coming out of the forest, dragging two bodies out.

No one cheered. Everyone fell silent. April had dragged  _two_ bodies out. Not just her own. And there was no sign of Dorothy.

“THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” shouted April, staggering towards the headmasters, “YOU DID THIS ON PURPOSE. YOU’RE TRYING TO KILL US! YOU’RE TRYING TO KILL US ALL! YOU’RE -”

An auror on standby grabbed her and covered her mouth. A few more came over to calm her down as everyone watched her in complete and utter silence. The school nurse walked over and cast a silent spell, knocking April out. They carried her off as discreetly as people with the attention of three schools could carry someone away.

Dean and Cas glanced at each other, and then to the two on the ground. They began to trudge over to the unconscious people.

Dean was right. The other  _was_ Charlie.

Dean understood why she said it. It was no where near Christmas, but he got it. Charlie was having a good dream. It made Dean feel worse about what he had to tell her.

“Dean? What are you doing here?” Charlie asked, groaning as she held her head.

Dean had sat next to Charlie’s bed until she woke up.

“Uh, you’re here because you were part of the second task,” said Dean, unsure of how to explain this.

Charlie blinked, then looked around.

“The second task? Where’s Dorothy, then? How did she do?” asked Charlie.

“She’s dead.”

Dean turned to Cas and he wasn’t sure if he should glare at him or give him a look of sympathy. Dean wasn’t sure if he was talking about Dorothy or Meg.

“What?” said Charlie, laughing nervously, “He’s joking, right? It’s just a really bad joke, right?”

Charlie looked around the room again. Cas left, dragging his feet. Dean felt like he got the worst job ever.

Slowly, Charlie turned her gaze back to Dean. Dean would have done anything to stop this from being real. Charlie was the little sister he never wanted. Seeing her slowly realize her hurt was unsettling.

“He wasn’t joking,” said Charlie quietly.

Dean forced himself to keep eye contact with her.

“I’m so sorry, Charlie,” said Dean.

“We were going to celebrate,” said Charlie shakily, “We were going to sneak over to Hogsmeade and celebrate after the next task, however she did.”

Tears were starting to form.

“We were planning a trip to her home town. A little town in the Netherlands. She said it was really nice. Her dad’s this 'deadbeat writer’, but she said the rest of the people around are nice. She said she lives above a bakery and her and her father’s apartment always smelt like cake and cookies.”

Charlie began to wipe away tears.

“I was going to spend my summer with her.”

All Dean could do was hold her, which was more than what he could do for Cas. Cas had become more distant once he learned what happened to Meg. Dean was terrified. He was terrified that Charlie would blame Dean for his weakness, for telling Cas to stay even though he knew Cas couldn’t have helped Dorothy in time, especially with the wounds he sustained. Dean was terrified that Cas blamed him for Meg, even though Dean couldn’t have done anything even if he tried.

Dean wished he was strong, Merlin, he wished he was strong. But he wasn’t. He knew he wasn’t.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	10. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/83072799014/spn-at-hogwarts-halloween
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: Halloween

Dean sat down with Garth. They were outside on the Quidditch field, just staring out at the Forbidden Forest.

“What was it like out there?” asked Garth.

It had been a week since the Second Task took place. It had been five days since Meg Masters and Dorothy Baum had been pronounced dead. It had been four days since the funerals. It had been a hard week.

“It was nothing you would have wanted to take part of,” said Dean Softly, glancing at his friend.

Garth just kept staring at the forest. Dean wondered what was going on Garth’s mind. He wondered if Garth was thinking about how he put his name into that goblet, how Dorothy or even Meg could have been him.

“I’m glad you didn’t get chosen,” said Dean, looking back into that forest.

Dean hoped he’d never have to go into that death trap of a forest ever again.

“I could have done something. What if I could have done something. I’m smart, Dean. I - I could have  _saved lives_ ,” said Garth.

Garth’s knuckles were white, gripping his cloak. Dean grabbed Garth’s shoulder and moved him so that he was looking at Dean.

“Hey! There’s no use in thinking about the ‘What If’s. Just be glad you weren’t part of that mess. Trust me, I wish  _I_ wasn’t, I wish nobody was,” said Dean.

Garth’s hands relaxed. He looked down, a bit ashamed.

“Everyone seems to think I can’t do anything,” said Garth, “I-I don’t talk about it, I don’t let it bother me usually, because I’m usually able to show through my actions that I’m capable if not more capable than most the people around me. I usually don’t need people to see it, I don’t do things just for people to praise me, but…I  _hate_ that you all think I’m so weak when I’m not. I know it’s dumb to wish to have been chosen for such a dangerous game, but people could have seen that I’m not just some guy with my nose in the books, they could see…that I’m more than just a brain, or that I even have a brain. A lot of people in my house question why I was even placed in Ravenclaw in the first place.”

Dean stared at Garth. Dean was part of those people, Dean didn’t usually show Garth that he took the little guy seriously. He never really thought about how Garth took that.

“I know you’re not some blundering idiot, Garth,” said Dean.

Garth smiled somberly.

“That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” Garth said.

Dean didn’t know much about what Garth’s life was before he came under the watchful eye of Auror Mills. He knew that Garth was moved from foster home to foster home. He knew Garth was on the streets for a time and that Garth was almost killed by a faery that he had to kill with his own bare hands, no magic. Garth was taken in only a few months before he got his letter to go to Hogwarts. He was nice when he first arrived to that house, he was sociable in his own awkward way. He never talked about his past though.

Dean nodded.

“You deserve much more than me saying that. One day, people will get that you’re not just the scrawny pole I see before me,” said Dean, patting Garth on the back.

“How are you doing, Dean?” asked Garth.

Dean paused. The last few days had seemed pretty surreal to Dean. He was at least glad that he was dismissed from classes. He had enough to worry about besides Professor Gordon’s creepy stares.

“I’m…I’m fine,” said Dean.

Garth laughed.

“I can tell you’re not. How can you be? A lot of stuff has happened,” said Garth.

Dean sighed.

“Look,” said Garth, standing up, “You don’t have to talk to me about it, but you should talk to someone, at least. Maybe that Cas guy. You guys seem to get along pretty well.”

Dean unconsciously smiled.

“Yeah,” said Dean, “I guess we do.”

Dean stood up. Garth nodded as he began to walk off.

“Wait.”

Garth turned. Dean opened his arms. Slowly, Garth smiled. Dean rolled his eyes.

“Come on, get over here before I change my mind,” grumbled Dean.

“You’re nicer than you think you are, you know that, Dean?” asked Garth, “You could start a fight in an empty house, but deep down inside, you’re just a big 'ole teddy bear.”

Dean knew Garth was right. That doesn’t mean he’d let on that he agreed with the dork.

“See you around, Garth.”

“We should do this more often,” said Garth, “This was nice.”

“See you, Garth,” Dean said, shooing Garth away.

Dean didn’t need Garth around more than he was. Dean had enough trouble showing his feelings recently, he didn’t want Garth to bring out the empathetic side in him even more. Dean was barely comfortable with what he was showing, unsure how to deal with these emotions even then.

Dean decided to take a stroll around campus to clear his mind. When Dean was deep in thought, he’d usually lay in the impala, but, well, it wasn’t like he exactly had that choice anymore.

He wondered if he could have done something. Anything. Dean had gone through many horrible experiences, but he’d put his time in that forest to be at the top of them. The only plus was that no one was trying to take advantage of him.

That was when Dean saw him. On the far side of the lake, a man staring at him. Dean squinted his eyes, walking closer to the lake. Was that…was that John?

“Dean.”

Dean glanced behind him to see Benny, walking over.

“You’re getting pretty close to the edge of that lake, brother,” said Benny, “They say if you walk too close to the water, the sirens will grab you by the ankles and pull you in.”

Dean grimaced, moving away immediately. He glanced over at the far side of the lake. Nothing.

“Why did I come to this school again?” asked Dean, turning back to Benny.

Benny smiled, putting his arm over Dean’s shoulders.

“Because you wanted to see what it was like to be normal for once,” said Benny, “And you deserve some normalcy in your life, after all that’s happened.”

Dean closed his eyes and saw Meg’s face there, that desperate look she had as she forced him to leave her. He opened them again.

“I’m not sure about that, Benny,” said Dean.

“You’re too hard on yourself,” said Benny.

“Well, you weren’t there.”

“And I’m never going to know what you’ve gone through unless you tell me.”

“Trust me,” said Dean, “You don’t want to know.”

Benny sighed.

“I’m here when you need me, know that,” said Benny.

Dean smiled.

“Yeah,” he said, “Yeah, I know.”

“At least you’re probably not going to have to take part in any more Twiwizard tasks,” said Benny.

Dean grew silent.

“You’re thinking about that Cas fella, aren’t you?”

Dean looked anywhere but Benny’s eyes. They kept walking, the questioning lingering in the air.

Dean saw Donna rush up to the two.

“Hey, Dean! Uh -”

“Benny.”

“- Right. Nice to…Nice to meet you, Benny.”

She looked down shyly, then back to Benny.

“Can I take Dean from you?” asked Donna.

Benny raised an eyebrow.

“Sure,” said Benny, “Why not.”

Before Dean could argue, Donna was pulling him somewhere.

 

“What is this and how did you  _find this_?” asked Dean.

He didn’t know how Donna did this. The place they were in - amazing.

Donna shrugged.

“No one ever said the Room of Requirements was only for solving mysteries and harboring enemies of the state. If you’re specific about things, you can create something wonderful with it, really,” said Donna.

Dean knew they were standing in a room, but it was if they were at some luxurious spa on a private island. Gorgeous men and women walked around, all fake probably, waiting hand and foot for the two of them. Dean laid on the bed next to Donna as one of the women began to give him a massage.

“You have the best imagination ever. I wish I lived in your head,” said Dean as he felt all his stress being lifted off him by expert hands.

“Ew, I’d hate you to be in there. Poking and prodding at my personal stuff? No, thank you, live in your own head, make your own freaking paradise,” said Donna.

“When did you learn you could do this?” asked Dean curiously.

Donna smiled.

“First year. I wasn’t making friends and my grades were stressing me out, and…I don’t know, the room appeared for me. Where do you think I’ve been every Wednesday afternoon?”

“Looks like you’ve been in heaven,” groaned Dean, “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

Donna rolled her eyes.

“Personal paradise, Dean. I need my me time.”

Dean nodded understandably.

“Thanks for…letting me come with you and everything. This is really nice of you, Donna,” said Dean.

“Dean, you are my only friend. And you haven’t been doing too well this week. I thought you may need something to help you out,” said Donna.

Donna’s masseur left as Donna stood up, getting into a wheel chair. Dean’s left as well and Dean followed suit.

“Where are we going?” asked Dean curiously.

“Mani-pedi with a facial,” said Donna sweetly.

Dean raised an eyebrow. Dean was about to stand up, when Donna stopped him.

“You leave, you’re never coming back to my paradise ever again,” said Donna.

Dean sat down.

Dean walked out into the hallway, feeling surprisingly great. 'I should thank Donna later’ thought Dean 'That was awesome’.

He walked down the hall and glanced outside to see that the sun had already set. Dean glanced at his watch. It was already dinner time. Dean rushed over to the Great Hall to see pumpkins floating everywhere.

Dean laughed. He completely forgot it was Halloween, which was understandable. He  _had_ been through a pretty traumatic experience. When he remembered that his choices for where to sit were Bobby or Benny’s group, Dean opted out of both choices and decided to grab one of the bowls of candy and sneak out. It was Halloween. Dean should be allowed to eat a giant pile of candy for dinner if he wanted to.

Dean ate his candy as he went down the hall, finding himself in the library. He shrugged, sitting down at a table with his candy. He contemplated on whether or not he should try to start his homework. Though he had been ahead earlier, the work was starting to catch up to him and perhaps the work would be a good distraction.

“Hello, Dean.”

Dean looked up as he saw Cas there, smiling lazily. Cas sat down on the opposite side of him and grabbed the last piece of candy.

“Hey, Cas,” said Dean quietly.

“How have you been?” asked Cas.

Dean sighed.

“I’m…I’m fine.”

Cas blinked.

“You smell like coconuts. And your skin looks rejuvenated.”

Dean groaned, slamming his head on the table.

“Don’t ask,” said Dean.

“I meant no offense. I’m sure many men enjoy facials.”

“Shut it.”

Dean glanced at Cas as Cas shrugged.

“I know you’re not fine. You can’t be, not after what happened. I’m…I’m not fine.”

Dean could see Cas shake for a moment. But only for a moment. Dean straightened his back.

“Cas, if you ever need to talk to someone, I’m right here,” said Dean.

Cas nodded.

“As am I,” said Cas.

Dean looked away. He couldn’t look Cas in the eyes. He hadn’t since the Second Task.

“Listen, Cas, about Meg - ”

Cas grabbed Dean’s hand and squeezed it.

“It wasn’t your fault,” said Cas.

Dean pulled away.

“But it was,” said Dean quietly.

“You told me everything. It’s not your fault. Don’t put the blame on yourself just because something bad happened while you were around. Blame the games.”

Dean sighed. He wasn’t sure he could do that.

“Anyways, Dean, I need to talk to you about the next task.”

Dean’s heart sunk. There was another task. One last task. Dean hated that Cas had to do it and do it alone.

“I’ve decided to work with April on the clue.”

Dean blinked. He furrowed his eyebrows.

“Cas…Cas, what are you talking about? April’s the other  _champion_ , she can’t be  _trusted_ ,” said Dean.

“On the contrary, I think her outburst during the last task makes her invaluable,” said Cas, smirking, “Neither of us are happy with how this tournament is treating us.”

“I still don’t trust her,” said Dean, “She could be using you -”

“Enough, Dean. This isn’t up for discussion.”

For a moment, there was silence.

“I just…I just don’t want you to get hurt,” said Cas.

Dean could sense some strain in Cas’ voice, some pain in his eyes.

“I think I saw my dad today,” blurted Dean.

Cas’ eyes widened.

“What?” asked Cas, sounding a bit alarmed.

“I…I saw a man on the other side of the lake when I was taking a walk…What if he’s here to take me with him?” asked Dean, his voice growing quieter, “What if he’s here because he’s angry. Because I’m a Hufflepuff. He could be here to drag me kicking and screaming away and I may never see you again.”

Dean stopped right there. he didn’t mean to say that. He shouldn’t have said that. He gazed at Cas, gaging his response. For a moment, Dean thought Cas was angry at  _him_ for saying such a stupid thing.

“I will promise you this, Dean,” said Cas, his voice deeper than usual, “If your father comes, I will do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

There was something powerful in those eyes of his, something behind the blue. Dean wasn’t sure if he was terrified or just overwhelmed by the feelings coming through those eyes. He opened his mouth, then closed it. He wasn’t sure how to react to that, what to make of it.

Cas stood up and glanced over Dean’s shoulder. Dean turned for a moment to see Professor Gabriel Shurley there.

“I apologize, Dean. It seems as though I have some pressing matters to attend to.”

Cas began to walk off, but Dean stopped him, grabbing his arm.

“Don’t do anything stupid without me, okay?” said Dean.

For a moment, both of them grinned at one another.

“Okay,” said Cas.

Dean slowly let go of his grip on Cas. Cas walked off with Professor Shurley, leaving Dean alone in the library.

 

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	11. The Yule Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://talesfromanunknownspacecraft.tumblr.com/post/84002633684/spn-at-hogwarts-the-yule-ball
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: Yule Ball

“You know, I thought you were going to have two left feet, but DANG, you’re as graceful as a swan, Dean Winchester!”

Dean laughed nervously.

“Please, don’t compare me to a swan,” Dean said, not feeling comfortable with being angry about a complement.

“But you are, you totally are!”

Dean sighed. He was with all the other Hufflepuff Fifth Years, learning how to do all the ballroom dances he already knew. He tried to tell Professor Josie Sands about how he already knew how to do the Waltz, the Tango, the Foxtrot, the anything she could probably think of, but she was having none of it. ’ _It will be good for you to take some time off_ ’ she had said, ’ _I’ve noticed you’ve been over working yourself. You need this_ ’. Dean honestly just felt bored.

“Just don’t say it so loudly,” grumbled Dean as Donna stepped on his foot.

He tried and failed to stop himself from wincing.

“Sorry!”

“It’s-It’s fine really,” said Dean.

“This isn’t any fun. I only chose you because I thought you’d suck at this as much as I do. I mean, look at that dork Bobby John over there! It’s like he goes to competitions!” she said, pointing at the almost professional level dancing of Bobby Freaking John, the weirdo who was a social outcast right up until this class session.

Dean glanced at the twirling monster quizzically.

“Yeah, I don’t get that either,” said Dean.

“So, speaking of dancing…you got any idea what you’re going to do about the Yule Ball?” asked Donna.

Dean laughed.

“You really think I’ve got time for something like that?” asked Dean.

Donna gave him a look that told him she didn’t believe him. Which was true, he had thought about it in passing, wondered what he should do about it. It wasn’t like he had any girls he wanted to ask to it.

“Okay, so I have put some thought into it. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about it, honestly. What about you?” asked Dean.

Donna smiled.

“Well, if you really want to know, two guys have asked me to the ball and I’m honestly not sure who I should go with,” said Donna.

Dean grinned.

“Good for you! Who are the lucky guys?” asked Dean.

“This guy from Beauxbatons, Ronald Reznick, and this guy who’s supposedly from Durmstrang, Sam Wesson.”

Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Supposedly?”

Donna nodded excitedly.

“Yeah, supposedly. He didn’t actually, well, come up to me,” she said, looking around, “He sent me a letter, asking me to go with him. He’s so mysterious and romantic. I think I may go with him.”

Something about that name sounded oddly familiar…and made Dean oddly anxious.

“Be careful about that, okay?” said Dean.

Donna rolled her eyes.

“I’m not you, Dean, I live a pretty safe life,” said Donna.

Dean nodded.

“That’s one thing I don’t have to worry about, at least.”

For a moment, they hushed as Professor Sands walked over to them. She smiled at the two.

“Good work, Mr. Winchester. You remind me of your grandfather. He always was the talented dancer.”

That made Dean falter for a second. He stopped, turning to the professor.

“Wait, what?”

She looked a bit confused.

“Your grandfather. He was a teacher here when I was younger, he usually taught the dance classes when Hogwarts used to have a ballroom club.”

Dean blinked.

“I…I didn’t know that,” said Dean.

“You…You didn’t know your grandfather was a Professor here? Why, Henry Winchester was lined up for becoming Head of Ravenclaw before he mysteriously disappeared.”

“Ravenclaw?” Dean blurted.

Professor Sands’ smile became a line.

“Why is that so strange to you?” asked Professor Sands.

“Because my dad’s always made me think everyone in our family was a Griffindor.”

“Well, it seems as though he didn’t know his father well, then,” said Professor Sands, “I suppose he would have been young when his father disappeared.”

Dean slowly nodded.

“Yeah,” Dean said, “I guess you’re right.”

Dean guessed he was showing emotion, because the professor put a hand on his shoulder.

“You may not know this, Mr. Winchester, but I was extremely excited when I learned you were to be under my tutelage. Though I was not a Ravenclaw, Professor Winchester was a mentor of mine. He really made an impact in my life, so I hope to do the same with you. If you ever want to know more about him or if you need any advice, feel free to come to my office,” said Professor Sands, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must check on the other students.”

Professor Sands left Dean there, wondering what the grandfather he never met was like, how he made such an impact on a woman Dean barely knew.

Dean was in a hallway he never walked down. Mainly because he was afraid to see whether or not his father had done something that Dean could never live up to. But here Dean was, too curious to stop himself.

“Here - I knew I saw that name before! I thought it might have had some relation to you, but how you are with family sometimes, well, I didn’t want to depress you,” said Benny.

Dean walked over to Benny and glanced at the trophy and the moving picture near it.

“Looks like he was Captain of the Goblestone Team and I think he was also a prefect in his time.”

“Really?” asked Dean.

“Yeah. Also, I got some people to bring me some old files, and it turns out he was top of his class every single year.”

Dean’s eyes went wide.

“Wow. Sounds like something Sam could become,” said Dean.

“Or you.”

Dean winced.

“I don’t think I’m into Goblestone that much,” said Dean.

“But you’re still doing  _really_ well.”

Dean glared at Benny.

“You didn’t.”

“I thought might as well peak at a couple other people’s grades. I had some spare time in the records room.”

Dean kept glaring at Benny.

“You shouldn’t be angry! You’re second in your class. You’re buddy Cas is only twenty-fifth, you know? You should tell Donna to try a bit harder, though, she’s really not doing well in History of Magic.”

Dean didn’t expect that at all.

“Who’s first in class then?” asked Dean, crossing his arms.

“She’s not even someone who actually goes to Hogwarts. She’s technically part of this year’s ‘class’ because she came over with the Beauxbatons students. Tessa McKeon. Don’t feel too bad, though, the smartest in my class this year is one of them too. That Champion April Kelly.”

Dean tensed. April Kelly.

“Really? April Kelly?” asked Dean.

Benny put his arm over Dean’s shoulders as they began to walk away from the only picture Dean had ever seen of his grandfather.

“Sorry I brought her up, Dean. I know you’re getting antsy about her ever since she started getting close to that buddy of yours. It’s really strange that two champions are getting so buddy-buddy, though.”

Dean had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Yeah,” said Dean, “When I looked up information on the Tournament, I found that the only time Champions ever really worked closely together was the 1994 Triwizard Tournament and…we all know how _that_ ended.”

“Come on, Dean, don’t act so sullen and pouty. I don’t exactly trust the guy, but you think he’s an angel or something. I’m sure he can’t have that bad of judgement if he likes you and you trust him,” said Benny.

Dean smiled weakly.

“Hopefully,” said Dean.

“Well, speak of the devil,” Benny mumbled as he moved away from Dean, “I’ll see you later, Dean.”

Benny began to walk off as Dean saw who Benny was talking about.

“Hello, Dean,” said Cas, walking over to him.

“Hey, Cas,” said Dean, “Haven’t seen you in class in a while.”

Cas wobbled his head.

“I’ve been very busy with matters regarding the Triwizard Tournament. Professor Shurley has given me permission to miss classes for the sake of doing well in this tournament.”

“How’s that going by the way?” asked Dean.

He felt nervous about the subject, honestly. Ever since the Second Task, Dean had gotten zero information on the hint Cas had gotten for the last and final task in this horrible game of glory and death.

“I’m…I’m honestly having troubles trying to understand what the clue means. April’s been quite helpful, though,” said Cas.

Dean nodded.

“Well it’s good that she’s been helpful. Benny says she’s top of her class, you know?” said Dean.

Cas smiled.

“She does seem quite smart.”

For a moment, Cas and Dean simply stared at one another. It wasn’t awkward, no, Dean could just tell. He felt comfort in Cas’ presence, and he was pretty sure Cas felt the same.

“I miss this,” said Cas, “I miss hanging out with you.”

Dean laughed.

“I’m not sure if just staring at each other really is hanging out, Cas,” said Dean.

“I wish I had more time with you, though. Life can be…lonely,” said Cas, and Dean knew that too well.

He knew it from the times he had to move, where he only stayed in places for weeks or a little more than a month. Dean was always quick to make friends, but only surface level. In those random towns, he could only flash a smile and know he’d forget the names of those people the next month.

“Do you know what you’re going to do for the Yule Ball yet, Dean?” asked Cas.

Dean groaned.

“Why does everybody keep asking me that?”

“Because you probably have a good pick of any girl around. You are quite attractive.”

Dean couldn’t help but blush a bit.

“I know that. You are too, you know?”

“Yes, indeed I am.”

“Well, someone’s modest.”

Cas shook his head.

“No, I just know that many people find me attractive, though, I’m not as popular as yourself. Even with your outbursts, many of our classmates would probably still fight each other to be your date.”

Dean wasn’t sure if he liked that idea. All it reminded him of were the shallow days at temporary schools.

“I don’t know, I may just go stag this time around. What about you? Want to go stag together with me?” asked Dean.

Dean wasn’t sure if he really wanted to go to this shindig, but maybe going with Cas wouldn’t be that bad.

“I’m actually going with April.”

Dean stopped.

“What?” asked Dean.

“I’m going with April. She asked me, so I said okay.”

Dean slowly nodded.

“Well…well, that’s good for you,” said Dean.

Cas shrugged.

“I suppose. She’s nicer, once you get to know her, you know?” said Cas, “And she’s been very helpful.”

Cas looked at the time.

“Actually…I have to go right now. April wanted to meet with me today to discuss what I’ll be wearing. Something about making sure we match or something. I honestly don’t understand why it’s important.”

“Well, if you don’t match, then you won’t look as good together, and it usually tends to be cute when a couple matches,” said Dean without thinking. 

“Maybe you should be going with her then. You seem to be more excited by fashion than I will ever be,” grumbled Cas.

Dean automatically shook his head.

“Merlin, no, I’m sorry, Cas, but I still don’t trust her,” said Dean.

Cas nodded.

“Fair enough.”

Cas walked off, leaving Dean behind.

Dean laid down next to Charlie on her bed as she sighed.

“If you keep doing that, I’ll lose my good lesbian name to rumors,” grumbled Charlie.

Dean shrugged.

“I’ve been laying here all year and nobody seems to be calling you out just yet. Besides, you say that every time I lay next to you on your bed,” said Dean, nudging her.

She laughed a bit, but that air of perpetual sadness still loomed over her.

“So, Cas is taking April Kelly to the Yule Ball,” said Dean, clearing his throat.

Charlie glanced over at Dean, her eyes showing her worriment.

“You okay there, Dean?”

Dean laughed wryly.

“Well, it’s more like April’s taking Cas to the dance. She’s pulling all the strings, even getting him to wear an outfit that will match hers,” said Dean.

Charlie rubbed Dean’s arm.

“You two would have been adorable with matching outfits,” Charlie said.

Dean opened his mouth and closed it. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He shook his head, trying to push aside any obvious reasons she would say that because,  _no_ , Dean didn’t get close to people like that. Every time he did, it hurt. Cassie? Yeah, that didn’t go well. Neither did Lisa nor Robin nor Amanda. And besides, this was  _Cas_. Cas was his best friend, not some person who was eventually going to leave him, though, it sort of felt like Cas had already left.

“You’re going stag, right, Dean?” asked Charlie, pulling Dean away from his thoughts.

He slowly nodded.

“Uh-huh.”

Charlie grinned.

“Want to go stag together?” asked Charlie.

Dean grinned back at her.

“Yeah, man. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Charlie nodded.

“Matching outfits! And screw dance protocol, I have the best idea EVER for what we should wear!”

Dean was getting more and more excited by the minute.

“Nah! You don’t mean - ”

“Yes, I do mean  _that_!”

Dean laughed giddily.

“Everybody’s going to think we’re total weirdos,” said Dean.

“But it will be  _so_ worth it,” said Charlie.

Dean and Charlie had worn their LARPing attire to the Yule Ball and Dean didn’t care about the weird looks he was getting, it was the best idea Charlie had ever come up with. He felt comfortable in what he was wearing and didn’t envy anyone crammed in their cheap, scratchy-looking clothes. Plus, he got to walk around with a frigging  _sword_. No one else was walking around with a frigging sword. 

“I think we look the best, if I do say so myself,” said Charlie.

Dean nodded.

“Well, yeah. All these people look like are monkeys in dresses and suits,” said Dean.

“Ooh, look! So the rumors were true! Hogwarts somehow got Thaddeus Cory to sing for this! Excuse me as I seduce some ladies on the dance floor. I have a particularly good move for his song 'Angel’,” said Charlie, waving Dean goodbye.

“Don’t forget to save me a spot on that dance floor! I’ll be over there, soon,” said Dean, grinning.

“I know, dancing queen, I’ll try!” shouted Charlie back, disappearing into the crowd.

“Hey, Dean!”

Dean turned to see Donna walking over with…a particularly tall guy who seemed vaguely familiar.

“Hey, Donna…who’s this?” asked Dean.

Donna was all smiles.

“This is Sam Wesson. Isn’t he great?” asked Donna dreamily, “I mean,  _look at that hair_. Shame on you for being cautious about him!”

Dean shook hands with the guy.

“Uh…have we met each other before? You seem familiar.”

There was some panic in Sam Wesson’s eyes, but it seemed to dissipate quickly.

“I don’t think we, uh, have or anything - Look over there, Donna, they got Thaddeus Cory!” shouted the twitchy guy as he ushered Donna away to the dance floor.

Dean couldn’t put his finger on it, but he just  _knew_ he knew that guy from somewhere, though, he was oddly sure he’d never met anyone so tall.

Dean’s eyes slowly moved from Donna and that mystery giant to Charlie and her gaggle of swooning girls to others around. He saw Garth holding hands with Bess Myers, taking a breather away from the dance floor. He saw Benny Lafitte sitting with Tessa McKeon, looked like he was talking casually to her.

“Dean!”

Dean saw Charlie cross the dance floor. She grabbed his hand and pulled him in.

“Come on, I have some people you should meet.”

Dean gave her a curious look, but he didn’t question her. He allowed her to guide him to the center. There were Charlie’s friends.

“Dean, this is Gilda Dupont, she’s from Beauxbatons, and this is Aaron Bass. He’s a fourth year Ravenclaw like me,” said Charlie.

From the two, Aaron stood out the most to Dean, or at least his actions. Dean wasn’t much of an idiot when it came to body movement, he understood flirting when he saw it.

He danced with the group, and the longer he stayed, the closer Aaron came to him. Dean was fine until he finally found Cas.

Cas was sitting across the room, fidgeting with his tie and looking particularly uncomfortable in a suit colored gross. His suit matched too much yet not enough with April, who looked like she was busy talking to a friend of hers, or maybe a drug dealer or something because she didn’t seem to be smiling as she talked to the guy.

Dean stopped smiling, though, when he saw Cas smile when April put her hand on his arm. It didn’t make Deal feel any better when they both grinned when they made eye contact with one another.

“Hey.”

Dean glanced back down at Aaron.

“I know you’re hung up on someone, and that’s fine. I’m not looking for anything from you. You seem like a nice guy, I’m fine with just being friends. I just am noticing that you’re looking pretty intensely at that guy and I think it may be good for you to stop thinking about all that crap. Tonight’s not a thinking night. It’s a dance. You should be having fun.”

Dean smiled.

“That’s actually the best thing I’ve heard all night. Thanks, Aaron,” said Dean.

Aaron shrugged.

“No problem.”

And that’s what Dean did. He let himself forget for a couple of hours what he was supposed to worry about. He didn’t think about the Triwizard tournament. He didn’t think about why he didn’t know anything about his grandfather.  He didn’t think about his father appearing a few months ago. He didn’t think about Sammy, even. He just let himself…have fun.

Dean walked himself to the Hufflepuff quarters and sat himself on his favorite chair in the common room. He saw many people flood in, walking past him.

“Hey, Dean,” said Benny, walking over to him for a second, “Did you have a good night?”

Dean smiled.

“For once, I think I can say I did,” said Dean.

“That’s good, brother. I’ll see you at the bunk. I’m going to get some shut eye,” said Benny, yawning.

Dean kept watching the people shuffle in as Donna walked over to Dean.

“Hey, Dean.”

“Donna! Did you have a good night with that Wesson guy?” asked Dean.

“It was nice until he mysteriously disappeared just before midnight. He left a note of apology, though. It was actually very sweet,” said Donna, holding the note to her heart.

Something about it made Dean grossed out, but he couldn’t pinpoint why.

“Well, that’s good for you, Donna.”

Donna dazed dreamily into space.

“Yeah, it was. Goodnight, Dean,” she said, walking away.

As Dean watched more and more people walk past, the more Dean’s eye lids drooped. Dean woke up sometime late in darkness. In front of him was the silhouette of a man. Dean hoped he was wrong.

“I didn’t think you would be a Hufflepuff,” the silhouette said, “I mean, it didn’t really surprise me, but well…Hufflepuff?”

Dean was horrified. He sat there frozen in his chair. He wasn’t sure if he should protest and defend the house he grew to love or grovel at this man’s feet and pray to whatever’s out there that this man would find it in that broken heart of his to forgive Dean.

“Pack your bags, we’re leaving,” said the man in the darkness of those shadows.

Dean stood up.

“What?”

“This is obviously a failed experiment and you would do more good with me on the road than…here. You were never good at school.”

Dean glared. His body shook in terror, but his mouth spoke without his consent.

“I’m actually second in my class here. I’m only second because there someone from a different school who’s 'technically’ part of my year because of the Triwizard Tournament, so I’m really first in my class if you count only Hogwarts students in my year.”

Dean wasn’t sure why he told his dad that. Maybe it was for once to gain some praise from the man. Maybe it was because he was tired of his father putting him down.

He saw John turn for a moment, the glint of John’s eyes in the dim light of the low burning fire in the Hufflepuff common room something to fear.

“Dean, you’re a Winchester. Hunting’s the family business.”

“Except when it’s not,” said Dean without thinking, “Like your own dad, Henry Winchester. He was a Professor, a Ravenclaw, even.”

John stared directly into Dean’s eyes. It was as if John was burrowing into his skull. Dean flinched.

“Get your bags.”

John’s voice was deep and ominous. It made a shiver run down Dean’s spine.

“Get your bags  _now_. I won’t ask you again.”

Dean turned and started his trek to his belongings.

“And leave that ridiculous outfit here. Wear  _normal clothes_.”

Dean walked into the boys’ bunk room, praying that he both would and would not wake someone up.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	12. The Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://talesfromanunknownspacecraft.tumblr.com/post/84469101691/spn-at-hogwarts-the-order
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: The Order

Dean walked out of the living quarters and over to his father with all his luggage. He had not waken a soul up. Dean wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

John glanced at Dean and turned towards the door without a word. It wasn’t like Dean needed a command anymore. Maybe when he was younger, when he wasn’t fully prepared for everything his father would ask him of, for taking care of Sammy, for hiding, for grabbing the gun from under the bed and shooting before the monster thought twice of the child near the bed who should have had a shaky hand, for moving without a moment’s notice or time to say goodbye to friends, for anything. John began to walk and that was when something clicked in Dean.

Dean didn’t want to go.

“Wait.”

It was more of a whisper than anything else. John turned to Dean.

“What?”

John didn’t speak the word any louder than Dean, but his voice felt booming to Dean, echoing in Dean’s mind. Dean stopped himself from shivering.

“I…”

Dean looked away.

“I don’t want to go. I want to stay here.”

Dean froze, feeling the thump of each step John took through the wood as he came closer to his son. Dean should have known what was coming next. It wasn’t like it was necessarily something that happened everyday, nor was it something that John did when he felt like it. It was on occasion, when Dean screwed up, when Dean didn’t follow an order quick enough, when Dean didn’t follow an order at all. The feeling of skin on skin, hand on cheek, there was a pause before Dean felt the impact.

Dean felt like he  _should_ _have_ been better at handling this, that he should be taller with a bigger build and stronger, but none of those things seemed to really come to him naturally. Dean was starting to awkwardly grow tall, starting to get lean muscle, but he wasn’t as tall as John, wasn’t as strong as John, had a smaller build.

Dean teetered from the slap, unable to take it without moving a step.

“We’re going  _now_ ,” said John.

Dean stopped himself from touching his cheek. He knew it would be bruised. He lost the will to fight for his own freedom on this matter.

“At least let Sam stay,” said Dean, “He’s doing well. He’s making friends. He’s in Griffindor, like you were. He’s not part of the tournament either, nor anyone in it, so I’m sure he’ll be safe.”

John pauses for a moment.

“There are a lot of people who will protect him here, like Jo and Benny and Charlie and Garth. Please, just - don’t take Sam out. He has something good going here,” pleaded Dean. 

John did a quick nod.

“Fine,” said John, and Dean at least was glad for that small victory.

They walked down the hall in silence, Dean carrying all his luggage. He wondered offhandedly if a professor would catch them and stop Dean from leaving, but Dean doubted it. It was the start of Christmas Break and it wasn’t illegal for John to take Dean from Hogwarts during Christmas Break, nor was it illegal for John to start “homeschooling” Dean again and force him to drop out. Besides, John was cunning, he wouldn’t take Dean out at that moment if it meant running into a professor.

“Dean?”

Dean’s heart sank when he saw who was turning the corner in the moonlight draped across the halls from the wide, open windows. Dean didn’t want to make eye contact, but as soon as he saw those blue eyes, they pulled him in.

Dean stopped.

John stopped when he noticed what Dean did, glancing from Dean to Cas.

“ _Dean_ ,” said John.

Dean snapped out of it, and began to walk, guilt pulsing through him.

“Dean, your face…”

Dean didn’t look at Cas. His face was deadpan. He had to ignore Cas. It wouldn’t be worth it to acknowledge Cas. Dean could sense Cas pulling out his wand, but Dean knew it wasn’t worth it.

“Immobulus,” said John, and before Cas could do anything else, he was frozen, his panicked gaze stuck on Dean, even as he moved with his father. Cas reminded him of a statue. He was something so perfect with all his imperfections. Dean wished he could have stayed just a bit longer, he had not talked to Cas during the Ball or even during that week. Dean wished he had more time. Dean wished he could say goodbye.

Dean had been laying on the ground when he heard the sound. Taps. Someone moving silently, someone who was used to sneaking around. Dean didn’t know  _why_ anyone would want to sneak into an empty, abandoned house like the one he lay in. There wasn’t anything specifically valuable in the place. It was Dean’s second week in the house, he knew there wasn’t anything particularly special about the place.

He knew John wasn’t in the house, so that meant if that person kept sneaking around, Dean would be the one who would have to confront the person. Dean had been injured the last time he and John tried to take down a particular vampire nest. John had left Dean to finish the job and though Dean tried to sleep and recover, all Dean could do was stare at the ceiling.

The tapping sound was getting closer. Dean knew he had to do something soon.

He got up, trying to hold in a groan as he felt the pain of broken ribs. Before Dean could open the door, it opens itself, revealing a woman. Dean tensed. He thought of the ways he could protect himself, but the woman doesn’t seem to walk towards him as if to attack. She took out a picture from her pockets and glanced at Dean. Dean blinked, a bit confused as she put the picture back in her pocket.

“You’re going to want to come with me,” said the woman, walking over to Dean, extending her arm to grab his. Dean moved away.

“Why? Who are you?” asked Dean.

As she moved forward, Dean backed up until he stupidly backed himself into a corner. Dean’s lack of sleep must have caught up to him. He swore under his breath, questioning his decisions. He could die from this. Though she was shorter, it was as if she loomed over him, a seriousness in her eyes.

“The fate of the world rests on you,” she said, “Or, I suppose Castiel, but catalysts are key, aren’t they?”

Dean paused. Cas. He hadn’t tried to think about Cas since he left Hogwarts a month ago. He supposed normal students would start to go back to school soon, but Dean hadn’t tried to think about that either.

“What do you mean about Cas? Why is he so important to everyone?” asked Dean, stepping forward, closer to the woman. She glanced from slide to side.

“Here’s not safe. If you want to know…come with me,” said the woman.

Without a though, Dean nodded, following this woman out of the door, out of the house.

“You never answered who you were,” asked Dean, “I’d kind of like to know who’s kidnapping me.”

She laughed.

“My name is Kali Sharma,” said the woman as she gently rested her hand on Dean’s shoulder, “And from what I heard through Gabe, well, it sounded like I’m the rescue team, not the kidnapper.”

Gabe? Dean had to think for a couple moments to connect all the dots. Cas. Cas told Gabriel Shurley, his Ancient Runes Professor, the Head of Ravenclaw. But why would Cas talk to Professor Shurley? It made Dean think about Cas’ interactions with the other Professor Shurley, the Headmaster himself, Chuck Shurley. What was Cas’ relationship with  _that_ Shurley? In fact, what was Cas’ relationship with the Shurley Family in general? Did he also know the Astronomy Professor well, Professor Naomi Shurley? Dean wondered about that family. Dean didn’t know why, but something about the Shurleys made Dean suspicious.

Kali apparated them to a different location, somewhere distant. Dean felt himself breath, relaxing for the first time in a month.

“Welcome to the Order, Dean,” said Kali, grinning.

Dean was about to ask what that exactly meant when someone interrupted him.

“Kali, did you get him yet?” called a voice from somewhere outside of the room.

Dean glanced to see someone only a year younger than him maybe walk into the room.

“No, Ennis, I just apparated to some abandoned house in the middle of nowhere because I felt like it,” said Kali, rolling her eyes as two others walked over.

The two new ones were around Ennis’ age, one boy, one girl. The boy’s hair changed for a moment when he noticed me, but changed back quickly. Metamorphmagus, like Bobby John. The girl seemed like someone he had seen in the hallways, as well as the other two young men.

“I thought he would be taller,” said the metamorphmagus.

Kali rolled her eyes.

“Dean, these are Ennis Roth, David Lassiter, and Violet Duval. Kiddos, this is Dean Winchester. You all know him because you were  _supposed_ to be watching out for Cas, but you may not know them, Dean. Ennis and Violet go to Durmstrang and David goes to Beauxbatons. They’re temporarily at Hogwarts this year because of the Triwizard Tournament,” explained Kali, “You will be going with them when you go back to Hogwarts.”

Dean crossed his arms.

“You said you were going to explain everything once I got here,” said Dean.

Violet glanced from Dean to Kali.

“He doesn’t know yet? I thought he was Cas’ best friend or something? Well, before that April girl started to get close to him,” said Violet.

“It’s not like we know everything,” said David.

“Speak for yourself, transfer traitor,” grumbled Ennis.

“I’m allowed to transfer if I don’t like the school,” said David.

Before another word could come from their mouths, Kali gave them a glare to silence.

“Come with me, Dean,” said Kali.

Dean glanced from the trio of vaguely familiar looking fourth years to Kali and decided it was in his best interests to talk to Kali right now. There would be time at school or later for the others, but Kali seemed to know more.

“This is the head quarters of the Waffling Order of Lumos. WOL. Or the Order. A lot of the younger ones have been calling it the Order and it’s sort of catching on,” grumbled Kali.

“What do you mean, the Order? What is it?” asked Dean.

“Well, you’ve been taking A History of Magic, I’ve heard it’s your favorite class. Do you remember who Waffling is?” asked Kali.

“Adalbert Waffling, he’s known as the ‘Father of Magic Theory’, author of All About Magic. He formulated the fundamental laws of magic,” said Dean.

Kali nodded.

“Well, somewhere around the mid-19th century, he formed an order that would be the preceptors, beholders, chroniclers of all that man does not understand. The Order has evolved a bit since it’s creation, especially after Waffling’s death in 1981, especially after the Dark Lord fell for the second time. While Dumbledore’s temporary Order of the Phoenix has fallen to the rubble over time, the WOL has grown once more to be the light to lead the way for all witches and wizards. You may have met one of our members beforehand - Meg Masters?”

Dean blinked.

“Meg? She’s part of your Order?” asked Dean.

Kali shook her head.

“Oh, I’m not head of the Order. You’ll probably meet him at some point or another. She was indeed part of the Order, though. She was our double agent at one point before she was discovered, but she’s done her noble duty for use, and she did it well,” said Kali.

Dean grimaced.

“What she did wasn’t noble, what she did was _die_ ,” said Dean.

Dean didn’t feel like it was exactly 'noble’ for anyone to die for him.

Kali glanced at Dean, but ignored it.

“Why does this Order care about me anyways? Why does it care about Cas?” Dean asked.

“Well, first off, you’re a legacy, Dean. Henry Winchester was part of this Order before his disappearance. But the more important reason  _is_ Castiel. There’s a darkness out there, rising from the depths of people who have forgotten what war and hate was like during Voldemort’s reign. There are people who want to…bring something dark back, and Castiel is the key to it all. Be wary of the Garrison, Dean Winchester. They will try to lead you astray, try to make you believe that we are the evil ones and they are the truth, but you will be the one who can stop Castiel from making a choice that will ruin us all.”

Dean didn’t understand.

“How do you know all this?” asked Dean.

Kali smiled.

“We make it a point to know prophecies. I’m surprised you don’t know this, though. You  _are_ a legacy, unlike most people who populate the Order today.”

Dean blinked.

“What?”

“Like I said earlier, you’re a legacy through Henry,” said Kali, stopping at a door.

“You can sleep here for tonight. You’ll go back to Hogwarts tomorrow,” said Kali.

Dean nodded as he walked into the room. It was a lot of information. The WOL. Cas. The Garrison. Henry Winchester. Dean knew he should be more curious about the Garrison and what they wanted to do with Cas, but Henry stuck to his mind. It was another piece of information that made the mysterious Henry Winchester even more mysterious. Dean wondered who his grandfather really was.

The second Dean walked onto campus, Sam rushed up to Dean, hugging him tightly. Sam was shaking. Dean slowly hugged back.

“Hey, Sammy. How’s it going?” asked Dean.

“I thought you weren’t going to come back. I went back to Bobby’s with Jo and everyone, but I couldn’t even sleep there. I thought Dad was going to come and take me away like you.”

“Don’t worry about that,” said Dean, “He’s not going to take you from this.”

“I’m really glad your back,” whispered Sam.

“Yeah,” said Dean, “Me too.”

Sam’s friends called for him and Sam soon waved, running off to someplace happier. Dean glanced behind him and noticed those three younger students - the WOL recruits - had dissipated into the crowd of moving students. Dean began to walk to the castle.

“Dean!” shouted Donna as she ran up to Dean, “Hey, Dean!”

Dean smiled.

“Hey, Donna.”

She whacked his arm.

“Hey!” said Dean.

“You know why I did that,” said Donna, “Why didn’t you say goodbye before Winter Break? I had a present for you.”

Dean tried not to flinch at the thought of Winter Break.

“I’m sorry…my dad had an emergency and grabbed me before I could say goodbye to anyone,” said Dean. 

Donna nodded, more somber. Dean never talked about his parents around Donna, but he was pretty sure Donna knew he had a troubled family life. She grinned again.

“Enough about this sad stuff, do you know what happened during Winter Break?” asked Donna giddily.

Dean shrugged.

“No, what happened?” he asked.

“Remember Sam Wesson?”

Dean nodded. Donna took out letters from her bag.

“He’s been sending letters to me! I’ve been sending letters to him too and all, but it’s really exciting. Sam said that he got really ill and probably won’t be here for the rest of the year, but he may try to visit me during a Hogsmeade Weekend,” said Donna excitedly.

Dean glanced at the letters and found the handwriting vaguely familiar. 

“Huh. Weird that he got mysteriously sick,” said Dean.

Donna glared at him.

“You already know he’s REAL and NOT SOMEONE MESSING WITH ME from the Yule Ball. Don’t act like that,” Donna said, putting the letters back in her bag.

Dean conceded. He still wasn’t sure WHY he was so suspicious of this Sam Wesson guy. He didn’t have a reason to be. Dean glanced around when he spotted Professor Gabriel Shurley.

“Uh, I have something to do. I’ll talk to you later, Donna,” said Dean.

“You better. I don’t want you mysteriously disappearing again,” said Donna walking off.

Dean hoped he didn’t need to mysteriously disappear either, for his own sake.

Dean walked over to Professor Shurley.

“Professor Shurley, right?” asked Dean.

The Professor turned his golden eyes to Dean, grinning.

“Dean Winchester. I knew at some point, you’d come to have a little chat with me,” said the Professor, leading Dean through the castle as they walked, walking them into less used corridors, “What are you going to ask about? Henry Winchester? The Garrison? Cassie?”

Dean blinked.

“Wait, you know about my grandfather?” asked Dean.

The Professor rolled his eyes.

“Come on, Dean-o, not only was Henry a prize possession swept away by time and space from the Ravenclaw house, but he was a major potential candidate for the Smarty Pants Club, his own grandfather was a founding member. It’s hard  _not_ to know him in my circles, kid,” said the Professor.

Dean shook his head. He didn’t come here to talk about Henry Winchester - he could ask his own house’s head about him. Dean came to talk about Cas.

“I was wondering…what’s your relationship with Cas? His relationship with the Shurleys?” asked Dean.

“Cas is my underage lover and I pimp him out to my dad every once and a while,” said the Professor, straight-faced.

Dean froze for one horrifying moment before the Professor burst out into laughter.

“No, no, he’s my half-brother,” said the Professor.

“Does that mean -”

“Yeah, the Headmaster’s our dad,” said the Professor.

It made a lot of sense to Dean, really. Before Dean could ask another question, the Professor looked down at his watch.

“I’d play 20 Questions with you, Dean-o, but I’ve got actual work to do. Some of us have real jobs, you know?” said Professor Shurley as he walked off, leaving Dean to his thoughts.

Dean was tackled down by someone. The person didn’t talk. The person just held onto Dean. Dean groaned.

“Cas, you’re heavy. Get off.”

Cas lay on him for a moment before he got off, extending a hand to Dean. Dean took it and Cas helped Dean up.

“I thought you weren’t going to come back,” said Cas.

Dean smirked.

“I got some help, for once,” said Dean, “Some help I didn’t even ask for, but help, nonetheless.”

Cas tilted his head in that curious yet confused way of his. Dean just shook his.

“It’s nothing, really. How was your Winter Break?” asked Dean.

“Lonely,” said Cas, “I…I’ve been staying at Hogwarts for breaks. Not many people stay and even less of them want to talk to me.”

Dean put his arm around Cas’ shoulders.

“Well, you can come with me to Bobby’s house next break,” said Dean without thinking.

He wondered if Bobby would actually be fine with this. Dean felt like he would be.

Cas smiled.

“No one’s said that to me before,” said Cas.

“There’s a first time for everything,” said Dean, grinning.

“Yeah,” said Cas, “A lot of first times have come from you, Dean.”

For a moment, they just stared at each other, walking through the halls.

“I’m glad you came back,” said Cas, “When you left, I realized that I didn’t even talk to you the week before you were taken. I’m going to make sure I don’t regret something like that again.”

Dean felt warmth from that. It was nice. To feel wanted from someone who didn’t want him necessarily because they were related to him or act as a replacement parent to him or act like siblings to him. It was nice…to have someone who’s different than that. Dean felt close to him, but in a way different from anyone he knew before Cas. He pushed away the thought as to what this feeling was, but it was nice to feel it.

“Yeah,” said Dean, “I don’t want to regret that either.”

Dean watched Cas walk off, off to prepare for that mysterious last task Dean knew nothing about.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_ **


	13. The Secret Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://talesfromanunknownspacecraft.tumblr.com/post/86478382001/spn-at-hogwarts-the-secret-meeting
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: The Secret Meeting

Dean Winchester was sitting at the Hufflepuff table, all eyes on him. Not specifically because anything  _he_ was doing, no, not exactly. The problem, for once, wasn’t Dean Winchester, King of Unneeded Attention. No, the prize this past week went to someone who was usually the King of No Attention.

“So…you’re eating with us again?” asked Donna through pancake bites.

She wasn’t exactly being judgmental about the whole situation. Hell, she hadn’t been paying much attention to what was going on ever since she started getting letters daily from that Sam Wesson guy (who Dean was still a bit on the suspicious side about), she had become worse than she already was with understanding the obvious.

“Yes.”

The reply Cas gave, like every single day Donna had asked the same question, was blunt and short. Dean didn’t even know if what Cas was doing was even  _allowed_ , but no one had stopped Cas yet. He had been sitting next to Dean for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all week without so much as an explanation to it other than “Is it bothering you?”, which Dean couldn’t really say it was.

Yeah, Dean probably should have been bothered by it. He should have been bothered by the fact that Everyone was giving them weird looks as if Cas had just walked out of the Forbidden Forest as a purple three legged blob with an eyepatch and Dean was some mermaid the thing was dragging along with it. He should have been bothered by the fact that there was literally no space between he and Cas and that Cas looked like he was linked to Dean’s hip. Hell, Dean should have been bothered by the fact that Cas was not only sitting like this with Dean during dining times, but also during classes, every single class they had together to be exact, all the classes Cas had been skipping all year.

But every time Cas sat next to him, he didn’t think about the eyes that were on him like glue to a kindergartener, all he could focus on was Cas laughing when he finally understood a joke from two days ago. Every time Cas sat down next to him, he didn’t think about that obvious missing boundary, all he thought about was how Cas’ side felt warm against his and that he missed the warmth whenever the class ended. Not like Dean would say that out loud, though.

“Are you going to  _keep_ eating with us, because this attention is making my asthma act up,” said Bobby skittishly, his voice cracking a bit.

An owl flew down, dropping a letter next to Donna. Donna couldn’t stop herself from giddily grabbing the letter and opening it.

“Another letter from Sam Wesson?” asked Cas, nibbling on a biscuit.

Donna couldn’t help but smile, her eyes filled with joy. Bobby grimaced next to her, his hair turning darker by the minute.

“It is,” she said, reading the letter, “Oh, and he’s saying he’ll be able to be in Hogsmeade during the next Hogsmeade weekend! Isn’t that wonderful?”

“The guy who got a mysterious illness is mysteriously coming back for a Hogsmeade weekend?” Dean said, raising an eyebrow.

Donna moved across the table and whacked Dean.

“Stop saying stuff like that, Sam is a good guy! Jeez! You’re just jealous because you don’t have a girlfriend as great as my boyfriend,” said Donna.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“Like I want someone a million kilometers away just sending me ‘I wuv you’ cards. No thank you,” said Dean.

“What about someone who’s in close proximity?” asked Cas.

Dean nearly choked on the roll he was eating, becoming more and more conscious of Cas in general. Cas tilted his head curiously.

“Are you okay, Dean?”

Dean coughed a nervous laugh out, trying to look anywhere besides those pulling blue eyes Cas had.

“I-I’m fine, just something went down the wrong way, I’m totally fine,” said Dean, clearing his throat, “And I’m not really, uh, thinking much about that. I mean, in between classes and checking on Sammy, it’s hard for me to even  _think_ about having a relationship at the moment. If one were to, well, just sort of start naturally, maybe I’d run with it, but, um, no…I, uh, I don’t think I even gave much thought to that, or anything. 'Cause, you know, I’m not really with the whole, uh, love, and…love…”

Donna gave him a curious look.

“Love and… _love_ , eh, Dean Winchester?” she said almost knowingly.

Dean glared at her.

“I think…”

Dean felt the warmth on his side disappear, leaving him feeling cold.

“…it is time for classes, right, Dean?” asked Cas.

Dean turned to see Cas’ hip next to his head. His eyes slowly climbed up to those pulling blue eyes of Cas’. Dean didn’t even notice that his mouth was open.

“Dean?" 

Dean snapped out of it quickly, jolting awkwardly out of his seat.

"Y-yeah, let’s go, Cas. See you later, guys,” said Dean, quickly putting his arm around Cas’ shoulders and ushering him away from the two, the eyes around Dean suddenly becoming more and more known to him.

Dean knew he was walking too close to Cas. They were walking in line and stepping together with the same feet, their hips practically touching. It felt so normal to Dean, like he didn’t know how he was walking without Cas next to him.

“Hey, Cas!”

Dean hated that voice. There was April Kelly, running up to Cas from the Beauxbatons table.

“Meet me in five? I got some things to go over with you,” she said.

Cas nodded.

“Of course,” said Cas, “I’ll meet you where we usually meet.”

It was disheartening because Dean was  _sure_ that meant Cas was meeting her in the Room of Requirements, where Cas used to take  _him_ whenever they discussed a new task. Even after a week back, Cas  _still_ hadn’t told Dean anything about the next task. Dean couldn’t bring it up without Cas changing the subject, and Dean wasn’t sure how to corner Cas about it. All Dean could do is give Cas a worried look.

“She’s…she’s good,” said Cas, avoiding Dean’s eyes, “Trust me, please.”

“Oh, I trust you, Cas,” said Dean, “I know you try to be a good guy. I know, you try, but Cas, you trust everyone. People are going to use that trust and…it’s not going to be pretty.”

Cas glared at Dean.

“I can take care of myself. I’ve always taken care of myself. If you’ll excuse me, I have someone I need to talk with,” said Cas, walking off.

Dean sighed, rubbing his face. He wondered if he shouldn’t have said anything, but Dean  _was_ worried. He couldn’t just let Cas keep wondering into something that seemed like darkness to Dean just to keep some form of pseudo-good between them. He had been trying to avoid saying it all week, but…he couldn’t just keep letting Cas think he was okay with what Cas was doing.

He walked to class alone, hoping Cas would sit next to him like he had been all week.

“Hey…you okay there, Dean?”

Dean was lying on Charlie’s bed again, looking up at the poster of Scarlet Johansson Charlie stuck to the bottom of the other bed.

“You’d think staring at this would make things better,” said Dean as Charlie lay next to him.

“Yeah, you’d think that,” said Charlie, sighing, “What’s up?”

Dean just stared up at the picture.

“You’d think adding a picture of Felicia Day would help?” asked Dean, trying to change the subject.

Charlie gave him a look. Dean gulped.

“I trust Cas, you know, I know I do, but…I just  _can’t trust April_. I don’t know why, I just can’t,” said Dean.

Charlie smiled.

“Of course you can’t, Dean.”

The smile made Dean squirm. It felt like she was seeing past something Dean never wanted people to see.

“It’s not  _that_ , I just…I have a bad feeling about her. The bad type of bad, too, not just that, 'ooh, something’s weird about her’, like a 'looming death’ kind of bad,” said Dean.

“That does sound like a bad feeling. I don’t know too much about her, either. She went to the Yule Ball with Cas, didn’t she?”

Dean tensed, slowly nodding.

“Yeah…they did go to that together.”

“Speaking of the Yule ball, me and some of my friends are going to be going into Hogsmeade next week, do you want to come?” asked Charlie.

“What friends?” asked Dean.

“Probably Gilda Dupont, Golem DeSantis, Ed and Maggie Zeddmore, Harry Spangler…Aaron Bass. You know, Aaron has been talking about you. Said you were fun at the Yule Ball.”

“Aaron? That short one, right?” said Dean casually.

Charlie rolled her eyes.

“You want to come with us or not?” asked Charlie.

Dean thought about the Yule Ball. He  _did_ have a lot of fun, especially because of Aaron and his words.

“Sure. Wouldn’t hurt, right?” asked Dean.

Charlie grinned.

“Awesome,” she said.

Dean found Cas in a random, little known crevice of the castle. Dean only had to walk over for Cas to notice him.

“Hello, Dean,” said Cas.

Dean had been wondering the castle, finished with his homework and needing time to think. He didn’t think he would find Cas around some random place during his walk, but Dean couldn’t say he was surprised. Cas always seemed to pop up whenever he felt like it.

“How’s the task prep going?” asked Dean, sitting down next to Cas.

Cas stiffened.

“…Good…I’m going to be doing some research and work with April during this weekend at Hogsmeade,” said Cas.

“Oh, you’re going to Hogsmeade as well?” asked Dean nonchalantly.

Cas seemed to falter.

“You’re…You’re going to Hogsmeade? With who? I thought Donna wanted to go on her own to see Sam, that it was very hush-hush because Sam wanted it to be just them,” said Cas.

“Wait, you remember that?-Never mind. First off, I  _am_ going to at least walk Donna over to her date because like hell will I let some guy come around and possibly drug her and steal her kidneys. Second, I am going with Charlie and a few of her friends.”

Cas blinked.

“You hang out with Charlie’s friends?” asked Cas.

Dean shrugged, grinning.

“Her friends are pretty nice, especially that Aaron guy.”

“Aaron?”

“You know, Aaron Bass? I’ve been hanging out with him all week, he’s pretty cool. His Griffindor friend Golem DeSantis is a bit intimidating, but he seems like a cool dude.”

Cas shifted around nervously.

“You mean Aaron from a grade under us? That Aaron?”

Dean nodded.

“Yeah. I met him at the Yule Ball, and I don’t know, we sort of hit it off there. After hanging out with him all week, well, he’s just gotten cooler, you know?”

“I don’t know, he seemed a bit like a snob when I talked to him last time,” said Cas a bit quickly.

“He hasn’t been much of a snob around me. He’s pretty down to earth, actually. I helped him out with some homework too, so it’s not like he’s snobby about that either,” said Dean.

“I don’t think you should hang out with him that much, Dean,” said Cas, avoiding Dean’s eyes.

Dean narrowed his eyes.

“Why not? And don’t tell me it’s because he’s a 'snob’,” said Dean.

“I just…I don’t want you to hang out with him,” grumbled Cas.

Dean stood up.

“Cas, you don’t get to decide who I hang out with.”

“But-”

“But nothing. I don’t stop you from hanging out with  _April_ , even when I don’t trust her. I at least  _I trust you enough to let you hang out with someone I don’t exactly trust_.” _  
_

“But-”

“No. Stop it.  _Don’t_. This is ridiculous -  _you’re ridiculous_. I’m out of here.”

Dean began to walk away.

“Wait-”

Dean turned to Cas with a look of disappointment.

“Just…don’t.”

Dean walked away, Cas staying where he was.

“Hey, there, Dean.”

Dean grinned, walking over.

“Hey, Aaron,” said Dean.

“And this must be Donna?” said Aaron.

Dean had dragged her over. Dean was just not going to let her go alone to find some guy that no one really seems to know about. Donna rolled her eyes.

“Dean, seriously, I can do this on my own! Merlin’s Beard! - Oh, uh, hi. Yeah, I’m Donna. So you’re Aaron? Dean’s been talking about you quite a bit, you seem pretty cool.”

Aaron smiled, crossing his arms.

“Oh really? I didn’t know he’d been talking about me to his friends.”

Dean laughed nervously. He had been a bit. Aaron seemed like a cool guy, why shouldn’t he brag a bit about a new friend?

Before Dean could respond to that, he saw Charlie and her friends rushing over.

“Okay,” said Charlie, a bit out of breath, “So, this is Maggie Zeddmore, a Griffindor. I think You’ve met Golem. Uh, these are Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spangler, they’re slytherins. And yeah, you know Gilda already. Donna, right?”

Donna nodded.

“It’s very nice to meet you all,” said Dean as everyone gave him, Donna, and Aaron their greetings.

“What are we waiting for?” asked Aaron, “Let’s get out of here.”

Dean smiled.

“Yeah…let’s.”

Dean had learned a lot about Aaron Bass during his week of hanging out with him. Aaron was a muggleborn and had groan up as a bit of an awkward outcast as a child. Or at least, he thought he was muggleborn. It turned out later that his grandfather was actually a squib and had chosen to live in the muggle world.

His friend Golem - he had come from a family who had worked for the wizard family Aaron’s grandfather had been a part of. Each generation worked for that same generation in Aaron’s family. Apparently, Aaron is the last wizard left in the proud family he came from. They’re population had dwindled, partially from the fact that they would only marry into pureblooded families and partially because mental illness from too much past intermarrying had lessened anyone’s want to actually marry into the family. The family had also participated in several acts against humanity as Death Eaters and several died in Azkhaban. Supposedly, a few people managed to be good, despite it all. One person in the family in particular had been rumored to be one of the greatest heroes of all, but the records of some of the members of the family were a bit sketchy at best. Either way, Aaron was the last of the Prince Family, and Golem, as the DeSantis closest to Aaron’s age, was chosen to protect him.

The two were decently inseparable, but Aaron was known to sneak away from him on occasion. 'I just don’t like being looked at so intensely all the time’ Aaron remarked once, 'I need some space sometimes’. Much like what they were doing now.

“Come on, Dean,” whispered Aaron, dragging Dean out of the Three Broomsticks.

Dean stifled a laugh, turning the corner on the street.

“Dude, they’re going to notice in like five minutes that we’re not there,” Dean said through a grin.

“Yeah, I don’t think they will if Golem and Harry are both hitting on Maggie. I mean, it’s obvious both of them like her, and once Ed sees that, _oh man_ , let the distraction commence.”

Dean barked a laugh.

“You’re an evil genius, you know that? A friggin’ evil genius.”

“I’m not in Ravenclaw for nothing, Dean Winchester. Now, come on, I heard Honeydukes has half-off Berty Botts Every Flavor Beans,” Aaron said, then whispered, “I have an in with this guy there - He’ll make I get sure only flavors  _I_ want. You know, I heard you like pie…”

Aaron moved his eyebrows up and down. Dean hid his face for a moment.

“Know a way to a guy’s heart, don’t you?” said Dean.

Aaron wobbled his head.

“I may know a few things about getting to a guy’s heart. Something about the stomach, right?”

Dean was about to respond, but then he saw him. Cas. Walking down the street. With April.

Dean faltered, tensing up and freezing for a moment.

That was when Aaron put his arm around Dean’s waist.

“Follow my lead,” said Aaron, a mischievous look in his eyes.

Dean relaxed for a moment.

“I…You don’t have to do anything man, I’m not looking for anything,” said Dean.

Aaron snorted.

“I’m not looking for anything either. Doesn’t mean I can’t help a friend out, right?” said Aaron.

All Dean could do was smile.

They began to walk, hip to hip as Cas and April walked away from the entrance of Dogweed and Deathcap.

“HEY,” said Aaron unnecessarily loudly, “ISN’T THAT YOUR  _FRIEND_ CAS?”

Dean was trying his best not to laugh.

“I THINK SO,” said Dean loudly, “I DON’T KNOW THOUGH.”

 "Dean?“

Cas sounded so confused. He was glaring at Aaron, who had dragged Dean even closer to him, if that was possible.

"COME ON, DEAN, LET’S GO OVER TO MADAM PUDDIFOOT’S. I HEARD EVERYONE GOES THERE,” said Aaron over dramatically, clinging to Dean as he winks in Cas’ direction.

Dean can’t help but let out a cackle.

“BUT OF COURSE,” said Dean melodramatically, picking Aaron up bridal style and skipping diagonal through the street, right past a gaping mouthed Cas and a slightly weirded out April, “LET’S.”

When they were in, they both burst out in laughter, Dean dropping Aaron immediately.

“I loved that skipping, nice touch,” said Aaron through bursts of laughter, “It was like riding a comfortable horse.”

“What can I say, I like a little flourish on my work every once and a while,” said Dean, his face turning red from all the laughing, “Seriously, man, you made that _way_ easier to handle. Is there any way to repay you?”

“By us a pie, and I’ll be good to go.”

“Have I told you you’re the best yet, or do I save that for another time you save me from looking at April and Cas?” asked Dean.

“Save it for the next time. I’m sure I’ll think of something even more ridiculous to do. We could act like officials from the Ministry of Silly Walks,” said Aaron.

“Monty Python will be proud of us,” said Dean, laughing just thinking about it, “Now, come on. Let’s try on hats at Gladrags Wizardwear then spy on Donna to make sure Sam Wesson won’t drug her and steal her kidneys.”

Aaron grinned.

“You had me at hats,” said Aaron.

Dean was glad he became friends with Aaron. This was a great distraction.

Cas stopped Dean in the hall. He had been walking around after he said goodbye to Charlie, Aaron, and the gang.

“Dean!”

Dean raised an eyebrow as Cas ran over to him, looking tired and out of breath.

“Uh, Dean, I wanted to ask you something,” said Cas.

Dean crossed his arms.

“What? You think you’re allowed to just ask me questions now? I thought you didn’t trust me. Why would out trust my answer?” asked Dean.

“What is Aaron to you?” blurted Cas, “I-I mean, I don’t know much about, uh, love and…Love and I don’t have experience with all of that stuff, I’ve never been prone to it, but I just want to know, I want to know what Aaron is to you. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you, I’m _sorry_.”

Dean couldn’t help but laugh a bit.

“Cas…Come on, Cas, calm down. Aaron’s just a friend.”

“And what do you mean by friend?” hissed Cas quickly.

Dean glared.

“It’s not much business of yours. It’s not like you have any claim on me. If you have to know, he’s just a friend friend, but you’re really being ridiculous about all of this.”

Cas’ eyes looked so lost when Dean said that, and Dean couldn’t help but turn away, hide the pain he felt from that look.

“I…I know I don’t have any claim on you, Dean,” said Cas in an almost broken voice, “You’re not some object, I don’t think of you that way. I just…I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I just _know_ there’s something wrong with Aaron.”

“Well, maybe I feel like that whenever I see April, but you don’t see me acting immature or selfish about it. I let you make your own decisions about it, despite how I felt.”

It was infuriating for Dean, for Cas to act like this even when Dean had been completely fine with his closeness to others.

“Maybe I don’t want you to be close like that to other people,” blurted Cas.

“I’m close like that with a lot of people. I’m close like that with Charlie. I’m close like that with Benny. I’m close like that with Aaron. I’m close like that with Donna. I’m close like that with you.”

“But…I just want you to myself.”

Cas said it so quietly, said it to the floor.

There was a pause. Dean unsure of what to say as he turned to the pathetic looking Cas.

“I just think of you with all these other people, and…I just want you with  _me_ , not  _them_.”

Dean didn’t notice how close Cas become. He was mere inches away from Dean. Dean’s eyes had no choice but to scan Cas’ face, his eyes subconsciously darting from eyes to lips, then away. He didn’t know why he did that. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to know.

“Dean…you're  _different_ …from anyone else…I just want us to be okay.”

Dean felt hot. He took a step away, hoping to get some breathing room. He felt shaky and nervous.

“We’re…we’re okay, Cas, we'll  _always_ be okay. Even if I get angry at you, I could never be angry at you for forever. It’s just not in me. I couldn’t.”

Cas took a step closer.

“Are you sure? Are you sure we’re okay?”

Dean laughed nervously.

“Of course we are, Cas. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Cas hugged Dean. Dean’s arms acted on their own accord, hugging Cas back unconsciously.

“I’m sorry about that…you can be friends with anyone, I’m the one in the wrong here. I…I don’t know what came over me there,” mumbled Cas into Dean’s chest.

“It’s…It’s fine, really. Don’t worry about it, Cas.”

Cas looked up, smiling.

“Good,” he said.

They stood there for a while, just holding one another as Dean wondered whether or not that was a normal thing to do with your best friend.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_ **


	14. Valentine's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://talesfromanunknownspacecraft.tumblr.com/post/86879792266/spn-at-hogwarts-valentines-day
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: Valentine’s Day

Dean could hear Donna scream giddily as she clung onto that letter of hers as if she’d die if she let go. The paper was a light pink and suspiciously familiar for some odd reason. There was the scent of cotton candy wafting through the air from the letter and small bursts of light that seemed like fireworks were hidden from view from everyone due to the letter being held up at such an angle.

“Let me guess,” said Dean, nibbling on a piece of bacon, “Sam Wesson, right?”

She glanced around nervously.

“Am I really that obvious?” whispered Donna, trying to hold in a smile.

Bobby groaned from his corner, glaring at Donna.

“Yeah,” said Bobby John, his hair color changing erratically, “Yeah, you are.”

Donna glanced at him, confused.

“You should be happy for me, you know?” said Donna, “I’ve got the best boyfriend in the whole world.”

Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Is that so?” Dean asked reluctantly.

Donna turned to him, all smiles. She nodded.

“I do,” she said, folding her letter up carefully, “He said he’ll come here tonight. We’ll sneak out and have a midnight picnic.”

Dean wasn’t sure if he was okay with that. A midnight picnic with a person who no one in Durmstrang has said they knew who pulled out of Durmstrang halfway through the year for a mysteriously devastating disease that was miraculously curing quite quickly. It was all just a bit too fishy for his tastes.

“Is he well enough to attend this impromptu picnic of his?” asked Dean, trying not to sound too distrustful.

He could see that Donna was trying not to glare.

“He’s been getting better every day, but his parents want him to rest. He gets weak.”

“Yeah…sure he is,” said Dean.

Donna was not hiding her anger well. Dean definitely failed on that whole ‘trying not to sound distrustful’ thing.

“If you’re so worried about it, I’ll do something for you,” said Donna as she took out a sheet of parchment and scribbled on it, “I’ll get him to have a conversation with you. Before the date. We’re still going to go on that date, don’t get me wrong, but maybe if you  _talk_  to the guy, you’ll see he’s a  _good guy_.”

Dean blinked.

“Do you really want me to interrogate your boyfriend on Valentine’s Day? I’m not gonna go easy on him, you know that, right?” asked Dean.

Donna groaned.

“As long as it stops you from giving those judgmental looks every time I bring him up, I will do  _anything_. Merlin’s Beard, I’d do a one man band for you if it did. Just talk to him and I’m sure you’ll love him.”

Dean sighed.

“Fine,” grumbled Dean, “I’ll talk to him, but remember,  _you were the one who asked for this_ , not me. If I hate him more, I blame you.”

Donna grinned once more.

“Thank you, Dean. This really means a lot to me,” said Donna.

Dean couldn’t help but smile back.

“I’m glad this makes at least someone happy,” said Dean.

Donna gave the letter to an owl. She watched it dreamily as it flew off. Dean rolled his eyes.

“What’s your deal anyways, Dean? Don’t have a valentine or something?” asked Donna.

Bobby barked out a laugh.

“Dean?” Bobby spat, “Not having a valentine? Yeah, right, girls are groveling over you like you’re the last salted caramel milkshake in the world. That’s funny.”

“Hey, I never said I had a -”

And as if on cue, a plethora of chocolates, flowers, and cards piled on top of Dean’s plate, owls swarming him so closely that there seemed to be a storm cloud of feathers above Dean to the casual passerby.

“- any valentines.”

Dean stared at the pile falling off the table in slight disbelief. Dean didn’t really think he was that popular. Not with all the weird things he’d done since he came to Hogwarts.

“Well, it’s going to be a sad day for a lot of ladies,” said Dean, “'cause I’m not looking for a girlfriend.”

“Boyfriend then?” piped up Donna quickly.

“Wait-what? No, uh, I’m not looking for a relationship at all,” said Dean, confused as to why Donna would ask  _that_.

“Why?” asked Bobby incredulously, “I mean, Dean,  _you’ve got at least thirty girls in that pile of love_. Why not at least look at one of them?”

Dean groaned.

“Because I don’t have  _time_  for a relationship. What with keeping up with my grades and making sure Sam’s fine, I can’t just start a relationship, especially since my stay here’s still a bit shaky. I don’t know if my dad’s going to just appear at night randomly and drag me out of here, and what then? Leave the girl without a word? That wouldn’t be fair to either of us,” said Dean.

“Dean Winchester, you should at least live a little while you have the chance,” huffed Donna, “Now open  _one of those letters_. It doesn’t mean you’ll go out with the person, but at least  _read_  it and make sure these aren’t weird valentine related death threats.”

Dean sighed.

“Fine. I’ll friggin’ open one, but just  _one_ , okay?” grumbled Dean, grabbing a random one from the stack.

It was a decently plain letter, which seemed less intimidating compared to many of the intricately designed ones laying in front of Dean. There was a slight scent of new car and leather, which was sort of nice to Dean, to tell the truth. He hated the fact that his friends had noticed the unconscious smile that crawled onto his face without his say in it. Dean opened the letter and began to read.

_**~ Will You Be My Not Valentine? ~** _

Dean blinked, a bit confused. Who would send a valentine card that started with  _that_? Dean continued to read, now curious about the contents.

_You seem like a great guy, Dean Winchester, and with all those ladies throwing their hearts out at you today, I wanted to give you a reason to decline a date for today or avoid the confessions at all costs. So, would you be my Not Valentine? Being my Not Valentine entails:_

_\- Hanging out with me all day today_

_\- Avoiding mobs of love crazed girls_

_\- Me being a taste tester of all your chocolates (Who knows, they may all be poisoned and I may have to eat them all to save your life!)_

_\- Making fun of grossly lovey-dovey couples_

_\- Not doing anything romantic whatsoever_

_Here are your choices_

**▢** _YES_

**▢** _NO_

_Send me this via owl or give it to me personally, please._

_Your Not Valentine Always,_

_Aaron Bass_

Dean couldn’t help but smiled.

“Well, Merlin’s beard,” said Dean, grabbing Donna’s pen and checking off YES, “This may just be an offer I can’t refuse.”

Donna grinned.

“So you’ve got a Valentine, then?”

Dean laughed, shaking his head.

“Nope,” Dean said calling his idiot owl over and handing Bones the letter, “I’ve just got myself a 'Not Valentine’.”

Donna’s grin turned into a line.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Donna.

Dean shrugged.

“Not quite sure, but I’d gladly take  _this_  over love at the moment. Besides, love…I’m not ready for thoughts on that right now,” said Dean truthfully.

He didn’t know why, he just wasn’t. And that was okay with him. He just didn’t want that kind of hurt in his life, not when he knew that odds were, it was going to end in pain for he and whoever he dated.

Dean felt a tap on his shoulder. He glanced behind him to see Aaron, waving the letter.

“I see that you have conceded to my offer,” said Aaron.

Dean grinned, standing up.

“How could I not? I mean, seriously, I don’t think I could eat this much chocolate alone anyways.”

Aaron grabbed a handful of the bags and put them in his messenger.

“Nice to hear.”

Dean turned to Donna and Bobby.

“I’ll see you guys later,” said Dean, putting his arm around Aaron’s shoulder.

“Yeah, laters,” Aaron said, “We’ve got some Bueller-esque Shenanigans and Risky Business sliding in our underwear to do.”

The two, who would obviously not understand any of the muggle references, looked confused which only made Aaron laugh harder as they went on their way.

“You want us to slide around the Castle in our underwear?” asked Dean, holding in snickers.

“Come on, Dean,” said Aaron, “Everyone would love to see you in your underwear, your shirt buttoned one button off, your tie on your head, wearing big sunglasses as you dance and lip sing to Old Time Rock n’ Roll. Hell, you could skip out on the socks and rip off the shirt in the end, if you want, I’m sure everyone will go wild for that.”

“You are a ruiner, you know that?” said Dean as they walked out of the Great Hall, “A ruiner of people. There are children at this school.”

“And all their wet dreams will be about that crazy Hufflepuff stripping to a song they don’t know, dancing a reference they would never understand.”

Dean couldn’t help but laugh.

“I don’t think that’s a good thing,” said Dean.

Aaron smiled.

“You might be right,” whispered Aaron “You may not want your  _friend_  to get too jealous. Speaking of friends…”

Dean saw Cas running up to him, glancing from Dean to Aaron.

“What’s…what’s going on?” asked Cas, glaring at Aaron.

“Nothing indecent, if you’re thinking that, though, we might get a bit ribald,” said Aaron, moving his leg up so that his knee was on Dean’s midsection, his arms wrapping around Dean’s shoulders as if it was the end of some tango number in a dance contest.

It made everything that much more awkward. Dean could only laugh nervously.

“Get off of Dean,” said Cas.

“And on what authority? The Queen of England? I don’t abide by the Church’s words, you know, I’m sort of an anarchist that way.”

Dean could only shrug, not trusting himself to laugh if he opened his mouth. Cas just kept glaring at Aaron.

“Cas, he’s just joking, man,” said Dean.

Cas kept glaring.

“Hey, Cas!”

From the corner of his eye, Dean could see April walk up.

“We need to talk - It’s important,” said April.

Cas glanced from April to Dean to Aaron, then back again.

“Looks like you’re going to be busy, Cas,” said Dean, “You better check it out. You know, for the  _task_  or whatever.”

Cas gave Dean an apologetic look.

“I’ll - I’ll talk to you later, Dean,” said Cas, walking over to April reluctantly.

“Last time he said that,” Dean said dejectedly, “He didn’t talk to me for a week.”

Aaron rubbed Dean’s back.

“Well, who cares what that dork does? You’ll be having such a good time with me that you might just forget who’s making you so sad.”

Dean smiled bittersweetly.

“Cas who?” said Dean halfheartedly.

Aaron grinned.

“That’s the spirit! Now, if only we could get more umph into that 'Cas who?’, then I can say I’ve truly done good work.”

Dean laughed.

“You can try,” said Dean.

“Oh, but Dean Winchester,” said Aaron, his grin just growing wider, “I tend to succeed at things I try at.”

Dean shook his head, unsure of what to think of this short, strange guy who seemed to make it his life purpose to make Dean not think about Cas and how Cas wasn’t hanging out with him.

“You’re a strange guy if I ever saw one, you know that, Aaron Bass?”

Aaron bowed.

“And I’ll be here all day,” said Aaron.

Dean couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why do you think I, Lysander Scamander, love you, Lily Luna Potter?” said Aaron in a mock gravelly voice.

Dean glanced at the couple. They were a year ahead of them and famous in their own right. Famous kids date famous kids, it always seemed to be. Dean, deadpan, groped his pectorals.

“My boobs,” Dean said flatly.

For a moment they just glanced at the two rich kids as they stared deeply into one another’s eyes.

“Five galleons they kiss,” mumbled Aaron.

The girl slapped Lysander, stomping off, leaving him with melodramatic teary eyes. Dean couldn’t help but snicker at the scene.

“Looks like you owe me five galleons.”

Aaron sighed.

“That’s what I get for believing in love,” said Aaron.

“Now, you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself,” said Dean, “You see, word is Lily Luna over there - still got the hots for that godchild of her father’s Teddy, even though he's  _way_  too old for her and is going to marry her cousin Victoire Weasley. But you see, Scorpius Malfoy has befriended her recently and odds are, they might, you know, hook up. That is, if Lucy Weasley doesn’t step up her game and ask him out first. Not to mention the fact that Lorcan Scamander, who’s dating Lucy at the moment, has no idea that she has the hots for his best friend.”

Aaron raised an eyebrow.

“You know a lot of gossip,” said Aaron.

Dean shrugged.

“Word gets around, and when you’re friends with Garth, King of Information, and well, you hear some hearsay.”

“Ooh, maybe I should become better friends with that Garth guy,” said Aaron.

Dean rolled his eyes.

“He doesn’t swing that way, buddy.”

Aaron devilishly smiled.

“Oh, not yet, he doesn’t,” said Aaron.

Dean choked on spit.

“Uh, he also has a girlfriend right now. Bess Myers,” said Dean.

Aaron kept smiling.

“Just means I’ll have to make a new BFF with that Hufflepuff a year ahead of you. Not hard. Ladies love hanging out with me,” said Aaron.

“Oh, I’m sure they do,” said Dean.

“I’m so glad that I’m not part of that Potter-Weasley business, though. Everyone sucked up in that ends up getting complicated relationships,” said Aaron.

“Not to mention all that Romeo-Juliet stuff with the Weasley girls and that one Malfoy kid. Merlin’s beard, I swear, it’s really ridiculous how much drama they have,” Dean agreed.

“Yeah, I’m sure you have too much drama in your life already, then?” said Aaron casually.

Dean sighed.

“Sort of. Let’s just say my stay here is temporary and not by my accord. I could be stolen away from this place at any moment. I’m just counting the seconds until it happens,” said Dean.

“That why you haven’t, well…”

Dean didn’t want to think about that.

“I…I don’t uh…”

“You don’t have to say it, Dean. Just know that it’s stupid. I mean, that piece of pie looks  _pretty tasty_  and just having a bite wouldn’t kill you,” said Aaron.

“I’m worried about what happens to the pie if it’s slapped out of my hands and left on the ground as I’m dragged off to fight the supposed forces of evil.”

Aaron laughed a bit.

“Now, that’s a strangely specific metaphor.”

Dean couldn’t look Aaron in the eyes.

“I’m fine with you not talking about it Dean,” said Aaron, “But that doesn’t mean, well…something casual can’t happen with someone else, right?”

Before Dean could say anything to that, something tackled Dean to the ground, hugging him.

“I tripped.”

It was so deadpan that Dean could help but snort.

“Hey, Cas,” said Dean as the awkward guy just stayed there, sprawled over him with octopus hands clinging onto him, “This is nice and all, but stone isn’t exactly the most comfortable thing to lay on.”

Cas moved off of Dean and helped him up.

“Sorry,” grumbled Cas, staring suspiciously at Aaron.

“So, what’s up, Cas? Me and Aaron are kind of in the middle of something,” said Dean.

“We’re predicting what people are saying in their confessions and the outcome,” Aaron said, “You wouldn’t believe all the stuff Dean knows about Hogwarts gossip, I swear, he’s cheated me out of twenty galleon already, the dubious man.”

Cas kept looking nervously from Dean to Aaron. Even Dean was slightly surprised when Aaron put his hand in Dean’s back pocket. Cas grabbed Dean’s wrist.

“I need to talk to you. Alone.”

And without a word of agreement on Dean’s part, Cas shuffled Dean away from Aaron. Before Dean could even say a word, Cas started the conversation.

“I don’t want you to be valentines with Aaron, Dean, it doesn’t feel right,” said Cas.

“And why’s that?” asked Dean, crossing his arms, “You think you have a say on who I choose to be my valentine or not?”

This was definitely not Cas’ forte, Dean could tell. Feelings. It wasn’t really Dean’s either, but Cas seemed especially awkward on the matter.

“I…I just don’t want you with him is all,” mumbled Cas, “Not Aaron.”

Dean rolled his eyes.

“If you have to know, Aaron’s my Not Valentine,” said Dean.

Cas blinked, clearly confused.

“You’re…what?”

“Not Valentine. He’s hanging out with me so that I can avoid all the frigging people who sent me stuff today. It was actually pretty nice of him,” remarked Dean.

“So…not your valentine?” asked Cas, as if he had forgotten the last twenty seconds of the conversation.

“Yes. That’s kind of what 'not valentine’ implies,” said Dean.

Cas’ whole body, once ridged, seemed to deflate of tension before Dean’s eyes, relaxing as Cas gave him a small smile.

“Okay,” said Cas, “I guess that’s fine.”

“You don’t get a say in who I date and who I don’t date, though, Cas,” said Dean, feeling like he at least needed to say this, “You don’t have any pull on that. I’m just not dating because I’m choosing not to date. Because it’s just not a good time for me to date. You understand that, right?”

Cas looked a bit disheartened by the news.

“Oh…yeah, of course,” said Cas.

Dean could hear Aaron calling him back.

“Got to go, Cas. Looks like Roxanne Weasley’s about to ask that Dursley kid out. Unbeknownst to Aaron, I already know the Dursley’s secretly going out with that Smith kid, the one a year older than us who’s supposedly descended from Helga Hufflepuff herself.”

Cas tilted his head.

“Why does that matter?”

Dean grinned.

“Matters when it comes to a five more galleons in my pocket. See you later, Cas.”

Dean glared at Sam Wesson. He was tall.  _Too tall_. He had long flowing locks that would dazzle anyone into awe-inspiring groveling.  _They were too fabulous of locks_. He seemed to be the epitome of all that was a moose.  _He was too moose-y_. Dean did not trust this Sam Wesson guy. He did not trust him one bit.

“Sam, Dean, I’m sure you remember each other from, uh, the Yule Ball. And when Dean walked me to you last time you came to Hogsmeade. Uh…I think I left my purse in my room. I’ll, just, uh…I’ll get that.”

Donna scurried away, giving Dean the evil eye just in case Dean forgot how annoyed she was at his complete suspicion of her boyfriend.

“So, Sam Wesson, huh?”

This Sam guy shifted awkwardly in nervous fidgeting, very familiar nervous fidgeting.

“Yup. Sam Wesson. That’s my name. Definitely my name,” said Sam, nervously laughing.

“What’s your favorite food then,  _Sam Wesson_?” asked Dean, narrowing his eyes.

Sam gulped.

“Not peanut butter and banana sandwiches or anything like that. Totally not,” said Sam Wesson.

“That…that wasn’t really the question,” said Dean, “What about greatest fears?”

“Not CLOWNS, that’s for sure! Yup, really love clowns,” said Sam.

Dean glared it the guy. He wished frigging Sam Wesson wasn’t so tall, then Dean could have made himself a bit more intimidating by looming over him.

“Something’s up with you, and I’m going to find out soon enough. Might as well tell me what you’re hiding before I figure it out myself,” said Dean.

Before Dean could get a response from the guy, Donna walked back down with her purse in hand.

“Come on, Sam, let’s get out of here. Sorry about Dean, he’s just cautious, even though I told him he didn’t have to be,” said Donna, herding the big moose of a man out of the Hufflepuff common room.

Dean sighed, hoping that he was wrong about that tall dork. He was happy that Donna was happy, he just couldn’t help that he had this feeling in the back of his mind that told him that something was up with that moose.

Instead of stewing in his thoughts underground, Dean decided to take a walk outside, clear his mind. He walked through the hallways, wondering if his father was going to take him away, or certainly  _when_ his father was going to take him away because it was a certainty after all. Dean knew he could never trust anything that was too good to be true, as long as the wizard with the yellow eyes was still out there and his father was still hyped up on revenge.

“Dean?”

Dean blinked as he turned to find Cas walking up to him.

“Hey, there. What are you doing walking about? Isn’t curfew going to start soon?” asked Dean, lazily smiling.

“I could ask the same of you, Dean,” said Cas, “Besides, I was hoping I could find you.”

“Why?” asked Dean curiously.

Cas glanced from side to side.

“Come with me,” said Cas.

Instead of taking Dean’s wrist, Cas took Dean’s hand this time. Dean allowed the sudden intrusion and held tightly onto the hand as Cas guided the two of them to a little used hallway.

“What is it, Cas?” asked Dean.

As Cas stepped closer to Dean, Dean stepped away from Cas, until finally Dean was basically pinned to the wall by Cas.

“Dean…”

Cas’ eyes were focused completely and utterly on Dean. It made Dean nervous. Not nervous in a bad way, no, more of a giddy way, and Dean wasn’t quite sure if that was the best thing to feel.

“Dean, I…well…”

There was a sound from one side of the hall. Cas jumped a bit, putting his arms on either side of Dean as if to either protect Dean or box him as if he were a terrified animal who would run away at the smallest of sounds. Whatever the sound was passed and it left Cas breathing into Dean’s neck. Dean felt heat rise in him despite himself. Cas moved away and Dean almost regretted that there wasn’t another sound that would bring Cas back to that position, closer to him, bringing Dean warmth.

“I just…”

The moonlight hitting Cas made him almost ethereal, as if he were something celestial and Dante-esque, as if he was all that encompassed a being of _Paradiso_.

“What?” asked Dean quietly, almost hypnotically, all the letters in that one word melting like warm butter into soft sounds.

And all Dean could look at was the messy black hair, the pulling blue eyes, those lips. All Dean could think about was how close Cas was, how there were probably only a few centimeters between the two of them. The oddest part was that it wasn’t uncomfortable at all. It was the opposite, in fact. It was as if Dean had always been there, this close to Cas. It felt like home and distancing himself from that space would be a crime against everything holy in this world. Cas’ eyes were so pleading.

“ _Dean_ …”

And suddenly the distance between their lips receded and Dean didn’t remember when he closed his eyes, but warmth was spreading through him like nothing else, and he couldn’t stop his arms from grabbing onto Cas’ back, his hair. It was long and deep and Dean could barely breathe when Cas pulled away, could barely see.

“I don’t think you have to stop yourself from loving just because you think your father will take you away,” said Cas, new courage and energy bursting out of him, “In fact, I don’t think you should ever worry about your father again. Because I would never allow your father to just take you away like that again. You’re not some kidnapped princess, Dean, you get choices in life, and I believe some choices are worth fighting for. You can tell me your answer tomorrow.”

Cas turned and began to run. For a few moments, Dean tried to get his bearings, let his mind catch up and register. Dean was going to try to run, but instead stupidly tripped. He got up quickly and ran to the edge of the hallway, seeing Cas swiftly walk halfway down the adjacent hallway.

“Yes!” shouted Dean, “Yes, you weird little nerd!”

Cas stopped, turning to Dean.

“W-What?”

Dean laughed.

“Why wait till tomorrow?” shouted Dean, “I choose yes!”

They couldn’t help but grin at one another.

**_TO BE CONTINUED……….._ **


	15. Spring Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://attackofthekillermexisaurusrex.tumblr.com/post/80512171949/spn-at-hogwarts
> 
> And sort of grew from there. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my Tumblr fanfic. It was based on this:
> 
> http://talesfromanunknownspacecraft.tumblr.com/post/87085049176/spn-at-hogwarts-spring-break
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: Spring Break

Dean was nervous. He had been staring up at the bottom of the other bed in his bunk bed since last night. He couldn’t go to sleep. He just couldn’t. A mixture of nerves, excitement, and slight terror had taken him and sleep hadn’t been on the table, not with Dean’s mind racing like it was throughout that night.

“Dean? Are you already up?” Benny crawled off the top and glanced at Dean.

Dean blinked.

“Oh. Uh…Yeah, just got up,” said Dean, yawning as he stretched.

If Benny didn’t believe Dean, he wasn’t showing his disbelief well. Maybe Dean wasn’t as sharp as he usually was when it came to the moods of others. Dean wasn’t much of a morning person, much less a person who stayed up all night. Regular sleeping hours at Hogwarts had spoiled Dean.

“Looks like we’re going to have to leave soon,” said Benny, glancing at the clock, “Will your friend be ready to go?”

Dean hadn’t quite told anyone that he had been going out with Cas yet. He wasn’t really sure if he was  _ready_  to. It was a big thing for Dean. He’d never liked a guy before, or at least, acted upon those feelings. What would everyone think? Charlie would be fine, and he was sure his other friends would be fine as well. He was sure Bobby would care less and Auror Mills would be happy for him. But what about his father? What about John Winchester, the man who could barely look at Charlie, think?

Dean was horrified about telling people because if he told people, one of them was going to tell John, and well, Dean didn’t know what his drunk, revenge-crazed father would do.

Even with no one knowing exactly that he and Cas were dating, Dean had asked Cas to come home with him for Spring Break. Cas had told Dean that he was just going to be staying at Hogwarts for the short break, so Dean thought that it would be nice if Cas came home with him, Dean practically insisted.

“I’m sure he will be,” said Dean, “He may not exactly come to class all the time, but Cas is always punctual for appointments.”

It was true. Cas was never late to their clandestine meetings. In fact, half the time, Cas was early.

Dean got out of his bed and changed his clothes into something more comfortable for the train ride. To tell the truth, he was excited to go back to Bobby’s for spring break. Dean wasn’t sure what he was doing for the break until he and Sam got a letter from the old guy that said he’d look after them during the break.

Sam didn’t seem as happy as Dean thought he would be, but hey, that was probably because he was making so many new friends at Hogwarts, from Amy Pond from his year in Griffindor to Ava Wilson from his year in Slytherin. In fact, A lot of Sam’s friends seemed to be girls. Dean never thought much about it, but maybe it was weird for all of Sam’s close friends to be girls? Who was Dean to judge, though? It wasn’t like he was Mr. Normal.

Dean checked around the bunk to at least make sure the area was semi-decent. He grabbed the bag he packed the night before and started walking out the door.

“I have a few things to take care of. I’ll meet up with you at the train station, okay, brother?” called Benny.

Dean nodded.

“Yeah, that’s cool.”

Dean had his own business to attend to anyways. He walked out Hufflepuff common room almost skipping, holding in a whistle as he found his way to the Ravenclaw common room.

The bronze knocker sensed Dean there. A few of the Ravenclaw first years were crowded outside, deep in thought.

“Where do vanished objects go?” asked the eagle knocker.

Dean thought for a moment, glancing at the desperate first years.

“Into…non-being, which is, uh, to say…everything?” Dean answered.

The door swung open for him as the first years gawked. Hufflepuff beating a think tank of Ravenclaws? Dean thought they probably felt embarrassed, ashamed, or something stupid that stemmed from pride. Not to say that they all scurried in the first chance they got.

Dean saw a familiar face pop up, walking out of boy’s dormitory.

“Dean? Why are you over here? Shouldn’t you be heading over to the train station?” asked Garth.

Dean flinched. He probably should be.

“Yeah, I will, I just want to meet up with Cas before we leave,” said Dean.

He was nervous. He wasn’t sure if what he was doing was weird. He wasn’t sure if people could just feel the tension in him as he says his half-truths.

“Okie dokey, Dean. Just make sure you two don’t miss the train,” said Garth.

“Where’s Charlie?”

Garth shrugged.

“I heard she’s going home with Gilda. Something about Southern France and the view of the seaside,” said Garth.

Dean nodded approvingly.

“Good for her,” said Dean.

“Speaking of going to other places, I’m actually going to go over to Bess’ for the week. She lives in Tinworth and she said she’d love to show me around. I am a bit nervous, though. Her dad’s the preacher over there, and I don’t know if that means he’s the forgiving type or the fire and brimstones type.”

Dean pat him on the back.

“I’m sure he’ll love you, man,” said Dean.

Someone called out to Garth, saying something about costumes in a play. They waved goodbye as Dean headed towards Cas’ dorm. Luckily, no one was in the dorm besides Cas, who was looking down at a god awful hideous vest.

“Lose the vest, man,” said Dean, sneaking behind Cas and snaking his arm around Cas’ waist. Cas blinked.

“Are you sure? I mean, it goes so well with my striped shirt. You know, that one Nora gave me with the vest.”

“Yeah, that shirt has might have to go too. Trust me, fashion-wise, it’s for the best,” said Dean.

He glances into the suitcase. It seems to be all filled with white shirts, black slacks, and ties. All of it just looked like holy tax accountant ware.

“Do you have  _anything_  that’s not office attire in here?” asked Dean.

He never thought much about what Cas wore outside of school, but now that Dean was thinking about it, he had never seen Cas wearing anything besides the dress code in Hogsmeade even. The only time Dean had seen Cas wearing anything besides what he wore on a regular basis was during the Yule Ball, and that was…still so very gross. All these women who cling themselves onto Cas really had the worst taste. Dean sort of hoped he was the exception.

“Well…I don’t generally go out to buy clothes. Not unless I really need to,” mumbled Cas.

Dean never thought much about that either. If Cas actually had the money to buy clothes. What Cas’ home situation was. He probably should have thought more about that. He felt like an idiot now, never thinking of even asking. Cas knew enough about  _his_  family life to write a book probably, how did Dean know basically nothing about  _Cas_ ’?

“If you need any casual clothes, you’re always free to borrow some of my clothes,” said Dean.

Cas smirked.

“Thanks, Dean,” said Cas.

Dean could just sense someone staring at him.

“Cas?” called Dean, thinking it wasn’t too bad of a guess.

“What are you doing?”

Dean smiled as he rolled himself out from under the car.

“Working. What does it look like I’m doing?” asked Dean.

“Yes, I can see that, but…what is that, exactly?” asked Cas.

“Didn’t Bobby tell you? This is a half-wizard community. The wizards secretly live in the community, but most of the town’s basically muggles. Bobby is a squib, so he decided to take on a muggle job. He owns the scrapyard in this town and does all the mechanic work as well.”

“Mechanic work? With…uh…cars? That’s it, right?”

Dean grinned.

“Yup. Cars. But I guess it could be motorcycles or something too. To tell you the truth…I sort of want to become a mechanic someday too. My dad used to be one, before mom died.”

Cas smiled sweetly.

“What do you want to be, Cas?” asked Dean, wiping grease off his hands.

Cas blinked.

“I…I’m not sure. No one’s asked me that,” said Cas.

Dean stood up, walking with Cas out of the scrapyard. He gave Cas a worried look.

“It’s just,” Cas said, scratching his neck, “My family…My family wants me to be a soldier…and I don’t know if I’m a fighter. Not in the sense they want me to be. I’d rather be a healer.”

Dean smiled at the thought of Cas as a healer.

“So…you’re parents wouldn’t be really keen on you become a healer?” asked Dean, “Isn’t that a bit weird?”

Cas tensed.

“Parent and…not really that, even. My dad didn’t even come into my life until later. I used to live in between homes until right before last school year.”

“Between homes?”

“Yeah. I mean, I heard a bit about my dad when I was younger. My mom Josie was a, uh, mistress. Mistresses don’t have much sway, so we didn’t get much help when I was younger. My dad’s family…It’s complicated. He’s head of this Shurley-Novak Clan. It’s big and sort of crazy and just…really complicated. When my mom got ill, Balthazar’s mother Rachel was there to help. She wasn’t really connected much to her Novak roots, though, she was the reason my mom and my dad met. She did her best to help my mom, but when she died, well, she got stuck with raising me along with Baltazar and his older brother Ephraim. When Aunt Rachel went crazy, Ephraim was old enough to take off and Balthazar and I moved in with Hester, who was taking care of other misplaced Shurley-Novak Clan children, like Samandriel Novak and Hael Shurley.”

“How did you get to Hogwarts, then?” asked Dean.

Cas smiled.

“About two years ago, my father suddenly cared about my existence. Not really in the way I wanted him to, but…attention’s nice, right?”

Cas laughed wryly.

“No, I didn’t get familial love from that assbutt. I got that from Gabriel, the black sheep half-brother who figured out I existed and insisted that I get a proper education.”

Dean smiled.

“So, he’s the reason we met, then?” asked Dean.

Cas smiled back, lacing his fingers in between Dean’s.

“Yeah,” said Cas, leaning onto Dean, “I suppose he is.”

“Hey, Dean!”

Dean quickly moved away from Cas, feeling cold without the nerdy dude at his side. He tried to give Cas an apologetic look, but he wasn’t sure if Cas saw.

“Dean?”

Sam turned the corner of the scrapyard.

“There you are! With, uh…”

Sam blinked, looking at Cas.

“Castiel Novak,” said Cas, “You’re Sam, right?”

Cas hadn’t talked to Sam probably since the Second Task, maybe. Dean wasn’t sure if they even talked there. Cas had slept the whole train ride on Dean’s lap. Dean was just glad that nobody commented. Dean was pretty sure that letting your new best friend sleep on your lap as you unconsciously play with his hair before you catch that hand doing the deed was not exactly normal.

“Yeah. You’re the guy who got Dean into the Forbidden Forest for the Second Task.”

Dean could tell that Cas was trying to not tense up at the memory. Dean put his hand on Cas’ shoulder and massaged it a bit, hoping that that would help.

“I…I suppose.”

“Do you have no where to go to either for spring break?” asked Sam curiously, “I mean, I’m sort of glad that we’re at Bobby’s for spring break instead of out somewhere with dad. Does your dad move around a lot too?”

Cas blinked. Dean couldn’t just leave Cas there drowning. Dean understood complicated situations.

“I invited Cas over, really, I insisted,” said Dean.

Sam shrugged.

“Okay,” said Sam, “Dean, can you come back inside? Bobby’s out talking with someone, Auror Mills is off on a case, and I can’t find the peanut butter.”

Dean rolled his eyes.

“You’re really going to make one of those gross peanut butter and banana sandwiches again?” asked Dean.

“We have bananas, Dean. We never have real fruit around here. I have to use them before they get gross. I don’t know how long they’ve been in Uncle Bobby’s kitchen, so that could be any second,” said Sam.

Dean snorted.

“Oh, that does sound pretty realistic. Come on, you nerd, let’s find you that peanut butter,” said Dean, walking over to the house.

Cas followed suit.

“Do you have jelly as well?” asked Cas, “PP&J is my favorite.”

Dean grinned, glancing over at Cas.

“PP&J’s your favorite? I didn’t know that.”

“You never asked,” said Cas bluntly.

Dean laughed.

“Well, I will make sure that you get that jelly. I’ll make sure you have enough jelly to make PP&J sandwiches for this whole break and then some.”

Dean winked at Cas and Cas had to stop himself from leaning towards Dean for a kiss.

“That’s very kind of you, Dean Winchester,” said Cas, leaning onto Dean’s shoulder.

Dean resisted the urge to just wrap his arms around the awkward guy.

“I do that,” said Dean, trying his best and probably failing at not sounding like he’s flirting, “Kind things.”

“No, you don’t,” said Sam.

“Shut up,” Dean whispered loudly, picking Sam up and putting his hand over Sam’s mouth as he laughed.

“What are you doing?” asked Dean.

Bobby, after learning Cas was going to stay for the whole break, had given him the guest room. Dean wasn’t sure why Bobby would do that. Whenever Benny slept over, he usually stayed in Dean’s room. It made Dean nervous, honestly. Why the change?

“Looking through your stuff,” said Cas.

Dean blinked.

“I’m not going to have to worry about you making a mask out of my face or anything, do I?” asked Dean.

Cas tilted his head.

“How would that be a good idea?” asked Cas.

Dean sighed, smiling lazily as he sat next to Cas and wrapped an arm around him. He at least knew that if his door was closed, people would knock first.

“I like your things,” said Cas, holding Dean’s photo of his mother with care, “You do not have much, but…all you have is important to you. It’s nice to see.”

Dean kissed Cas on the cheek.

“I’ll have to go through your stuff when we get back to Hogwarts, then,” said Dean, “I’d love to see what you find important.”

“I…I don’t have any items like this, Dean.”

Dean paused.

“What?”

Cas shrugged.

“I don’t have anything left from my mother. I don’t even have a picture of her. My dad’s never given me anything and the things I get from Balthazar and Gabriel are not items.”

Dean thought for a moment, then stood up. Dean could just sense Cas raising an eyebrow.

“What are you doing?”

Dean grinned, grabbing the old camera from the other side of the room. Dean sat next to Cas again and pointed the camera. Without even telling Cas, he took a picture, the old muggle photo falling down from the camera.

“What…What was that?” asked Cas, surprised.

Dean set the camera down, picking the photo off the floor and waving it.

“Making you something to cherish,” said Dean.

The photo appeared and Cas blurted a laugh.

“I look horrible in this, Dean! Take it again,” said Cas, trying to grab the picture from Dean. Dean moved it away from Cas.

“Nah, man, this is wonderful. This is you just being here. That’s the best thing to be encapsulated in time forever,” said Dean.

Cas smiled.

“Fine. Give me the picture,” said Cas.

He handed Cas the picture. Cas held it like it was a priceless piece of art. Gingerly, he put the picture in his trench coat.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Dean jumped up from the bed and moved aside to the wall on the opposite side of the room.

“Yeah?” called Dean.

Bobby opened the door.

“Hey, Dean. This door has been a bit…uh…sticky lately and hasn’t been opening easily sometimes. I want you to keep it at least a bit open while you’re around this spring break,” said Bobby.

“Really? Do you want me to see if I can fix it?” asked Dean.

Bobby shook his head.

“Nah, I’ll get to it when I get to it. I’m just a kind of busy at the moment. Just don’t close this door, okay?”

Dean found it to be a weird request, but he nodded.

“Uh…sure, I guess,” said Dean, shrugging.

Bobby let out a sigh.

“Good. Hey, Cas. How are you?” asked Bobby.

“As good as I was when you asked me yesterday and the day before at breakfast,” said Cas.

Bobby nodded.

“Uh…Good. I’ll see you two at dinner, then,” said Bobby, popping back out of the room.

Dean didn’t like how twitchy Bobby was being.

“That was weird,” mumbled Dean, unsure of whether or not it would be safe to glomp all over Cas anymore in his room.

“It’s nice that he asks me how I am, though,” said Cas, faintly smiling.

Dean could just feel her glaring at him.

“What is it, Jo?”

She didn’t reply. She just kept glowering and crossing her arms at Dean.

“Come on, you’ve been standing there for twenty minutes. What did I do wrong?” asked Dean.

“What did you do  _wrong_?” asked Jo, “How do you not even  _know_?”

She was exasperated, that was for sure.

“I mean, you haven’t hung out with me  _at all_ at Hogwarts and you haven’t hung out with me  _here_! Now, you’re hanging out with this - this -this  _Cas_ guy and you’re not even hanging out with _Benny_! People could talk, you know, they could say things.”

Anger bubbled up in Dean.

“What are you saying, Jo?” asked Dean slowly.

“I’m just saying,” she said, biting her lip, “I mean - what is that  _Cas guy_  even to you, Dean?”

Dean could say a lot of things. He could say a lot of things that could hurt Jo. But he wasn’t in the mood to mess with a little girl who was getting jealous.

“Let them talk,” Dean said, and…and Dean sort of meant it. In fact, Dean was completely  _fine_ with it. In fact, Dean would rather  _everyone_ talked about it, that he shout it from the rooftops, throwing caution into the wind. He’d rather have a swarm of flash dancers take over the little village and spur so many impromptu dancing and singing numbers that Dean’s whole spring break became a musical. Merlin’s beard, he’d dance and sing along with them.

Jo’s petty jealousy slowly turned more into somberness.

“You…you actually are…”

Dean didn’t break eye contact. He just let that simmer.

“No one’s talking,” whispered Jo, averting her eyes, “I’m sorry.”

Dean rustled her hair.

“It’s okay, Jo,” said Dean.

She looked so somber, unlike her usual sassy self.

“You know, we have one more day until break ends. Want to hang out with me tomorrow?” asked Dean.

Jo grinned.

“I’d love that.”

Dean glanced up to see Cas walking over.

“I’ll…I’ll see you later, then,” said Jo, shuffling away.

Cas pouted.

“I don’t think she likes me,” grumbled Cas.

“I don’t know,” said Dean, “I think she’ll warm up to you soon.”

“It’s been so nice here, Dean. Thank you for bringing me. I…I really needed this,” said Cas.

Dean stood up, smiling.

“I’m just happy I could spend so much time with you,” said Dean.

They stood there next to the car, classic rock blazing from it, just staring at one another. Dean had a feeling that something horribly wrong was going to happen, but he pushed it aside. This was too nice to ruin it with some gut feeling.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	16. Ancestors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took forever to post more of this. I'm going to finish posting the rest of this like now-ish. It's all on my Tumblr, but it should be here too.
> 
> http://talesfromanunknownspacecraft.tumblr.com/post/87373474721/spn-at-hogwarts-ancestors
> 
> Enjoy!

SPN at Hogwarts: Ancestors

It wasn’t as if Dean wasn’t used to this sort of situation - he was just a bit rusty. His time at Hogwarts had made his senses dull, made him lax and too used to peace. It wasn’t exactly surprising that Dean hadn’t noticed the group crowding around him before it was too late.

“I wouldn’t do anything funny if I were you, Dean.”

Dean blinked, then flashed an obnoxious smile.

“You think you can take me on, Ennis? Really?” asked Dean.

Ennis glanced around nervously from David to Violet.

“You’re part of the Order, too,” whispered Violet, her eyes wandering around the empty hall paranoid, “By lineage, of all things. You should know that once you’re part of the Order, you need to help it.”

Dean didn’t like the sound of that. Not one bit.

“I’m not sure what you mean by that,” asked Dean, crossing his arms, “Care to explain what that may entail?”

David at least had some sympathy, unlike the other two. He, looked away guiltily.

“We need you to make sure Castiel Novak is not a threat,” said David quietly.

“Well that’s easy - he’s not,” said Dean.

“You don’t exactly understand the situation, Dean,” said Ennis in a hushed tone, “Castiel’s mother, Josie - do you know what her last name was?”

“Uh, Novak?” said Dean.

Dean knew Cas’ last name didn’t come from his father. He would’ve been Castiel Shurley if that were true. But something didn’t feel right about any of their questions. Dean was getting a sinking feeling. All he wanted at the moment was out of that conversation.

“No,” said Violet, shaking her head, her face tense as if to control her rage, “His mother’s surname was Grindlevald. Józefa ‘Josie’ Grindlevald. She changed her last name to Bagshot when her cousin became more unfavorable in the eyes of the public, but she still had ties that ran deep with her Grindlevald blood. For instance, did you know the Novaks had been good family friends to the Grindlevalds? intermarried on several occasions and supported the construction of the Nurmengard?”

Dean didn’t know what to say. Dean didn’t know any of that.

“Just because he’s part of that family doesn’t mean he’s part of that history, Violet,” David insisted.

Violet glared at David.

“But it doesn’t mean he’s not either. He took the name Novak shortly after his mother’s death. The Novaks grew into more extremist ideals when they connected themselves to the Shurley family in the 50s and formed the Garrison. And what they did to my brother! I don’t wish that fate on anyone.”

Violet was trembling, fury surging through her eyes as she spoke.

David couldn’t say anything to that. Dean wondered what had happened, but it was probably none of his business, and he understood when and when not to poke a bear.

“What makes you think I’ll go along with this plan of yours, anyways?” asked Dean.

Ennis stared at Dean.

“Why  _wouldn’t you_?” asked Ennis, dumbfounded.

“Because I don’t really feel that much loyalty towards you guys,” said Dean plainly, “I mean, you haven’t even  _spoken_ to me since Christmas Break and it’s not like I’m going to go along with your whole secret organization just because my gramps was in it. I’ve never met my grandpa, and since he abandoned my dad and all, I’m not sure if I _want_ to know about him.”

This was half truthful. Yes, he didn’t feel loyal towards people who flaunt around screaming justice in secret. Yes, He knew basically nothing about his grandfather and did harbor slight resentment towards him for abandoning his own father. But not wanting to know about him? As much as Dean hated himself for it, Henry Winchester was a mysterious oddity that he will always want to learn more about. As much as he hated being shoehorned into clandestine missions for unknown reasons, Dean  _wanted_ a place to where he could find his roots,  _yearned_ for a place called home because of the people who came before him. But he wasn’t going to let these three know about that.

“Remember that it was a member of the Order who saved you from hunting in your father’s shadow for the rest of your life,” said Violet, “You  _owe_ us.”

“No, I  _don’t_ ,” said Dean, “If it wasn’t Kali, then it would have been Bobby, or Ellen or someone else.”

Someone like Cas. But there was a little inkling of a thought at the back of Dean’s mind that just _knew_ it wasn’t that simple. That it would have taken longer, that Dean would’ve been worn down by the time the world of normalcy took him once more. It could have taken  _years_ , it could have been too late for Dean to ever have a proper education. _That_ …that was a terrifying thought.

“Just because we saved you from that life doesn’t mean we can’t throw you back into it either,” said Ennis.

Dean tensed.

“You can’t be serious, man,” said David.

Ennis turned to David with wrath in his eyes.

“You don’t know what you left behind, David,” said Ennis, “You don’t know how serious it’s become. It’s still just whispers down here, but if you went deeper into Europe, moved more north and east, than you’d know that in smaller towns, it’s not just whispers.”

There was definitely something missing that Dean didn’t know. He hated how everyone kept giving him hints and glimpses of the truth, but never gave him the  _full truth_. How was he supposed to make an opinion and choose what to do  _when he didn’t even know what he was fighting for or against_?

Students began to walk towards the group. Violet glanced at them nervously.

“Think about it,” said David, grabbing the other two and walking them swiftly away.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Dean Winchester, boy wonder,” said Balthazar, walking out of the shadows, “I’m not sure whether or not I should be surprised by this visit. I know it won’t be a pleasant one. From what I hear, you’re out for clues, like the good auror I’m sure you’ve been bred to be. Or was it kicked into you? I sort of just skimmed your background.”

Dean knew this was a bad idea. He felt like this wasn’t fair to Cas. His instincts told him that something wasn’t right, and he knew for a fact that he’d been closing his eyes to what he knew was fishy. He still felt horrible doing this. It felt as if he was going behind Cas’ back. He just knew Cas wouldn’t give him the answers he  _needed_.

“This meeting’s not about my background. I’m sure you already know that, though,” said Dean.

Balthazar  _did_ run the black market at Hogwarts. Dean highly doubted anything went past him without a quick glance at it. Dean bet he kept tabs on everyone, just in case an interesting piece of information slithered on by him.

Balthazar grinned.

“Don’t be like that, Dean! A friend of a friend is a friend, now, isn’t it? And it’s not like Cas doesn’t brag about you nonstop. Why, from the way Cas talks about you, I wouldn’t be surprised if you farted rainbows and cured the Killing Curse with the sound of your laughter.”

Dean grimaced. This made him feel even  _worse_ about what he was going to ask.

“Let’s get to the point, Balthazar,” said Dean.

Balthazar nodded.

“Yes. Probably a good thing to do. Why you’re here and all. You want to know about…?”

Dean just stared at the seventh year. Was he really going to make Dean spell it out?

“Come on, Dean. I can’t give you what you want unless you tell me what it is.”

And Dean knew the exact moment he betrayed Cas.

“I want to know about Cas’ mother.”

Right there.

“And what will you give me in return?” asked Balthazar.

Dean was stunned. He should have known this was going to happen. What did he really expect? Balthazar to give him the answers from the bottom of his heart, for the love of his cousin? Dean would be an idiot to think that. Dean  _was_ an idiot to think that.

“Come on. I need something from you. This is an economy, however sly it is. You give me something appealing, I return the favor,” said Balthazar.

And that was when Dean made another betrayal.

“There are three students here who are part of a secret organization that they deem the Order.”

What side was Dean on? Dean didn’t know. He was probably on the selfish, does-my-boyfriend-potentially-have-the-power-to-turn-into-a-sociopathic-killer side. The side, oddly enough, no one else at the school who cared about this fight knew about.

Balthazar’s eyes widened.

“Hmmm, well…well, that is interesting. Would you mind telling me - ”

Dean stared Balthazar straight in the eye.

“You first.”

Balthazar groaned.

“Fine,” Balthazar grumbled, “Castiel’s mother was born Józefa Grindlevald, but she was sent to England when things were getting harry for her family. Several of her family took up the last names of distant relatives and lived in less affected places in order to avoid being tainted by Grindlevald’s reputation. She was Josie Bagshot since she was thirteen. She lived with her great aunt and went to Beauxbatons with my mother.”

“She went to Beauxbatons?”

“You really think I’m going to give you more information?” asked Balthazar.

“None of the students in the Order are from Hogwarts.”

“She did. That’s where she became good friends with my mother and eventually met our headmaster. He was a Hufflepuff here, but my mother was close to him a time ago.”

Dean suddenly hated the fact that Professor Chuck Shurley was a Hufflepuff. It felt like such an insult to his house.

“So…so what about the Garrison? Is Cas really tied to them?”

Suddenly, Balthazar wasn’t smiling anymore. The normally playful man became serious in an almost terrifying way, looming over Dean.

“Now…why do you know about the Garrison?”

Dean felt like he should be running, running far and running fast. Dean knew he had overstepped some sort of shaky ground halfway through his thought. But Dean’s legs weren’t letting him move. Dean felt like the room was closing in on him and he knew he wasn’t exactly safe.

“You shouldn’t be saying that word so casually, Dean Winchester,” said Balthazar, giving Dean space, “Who knows who’s eavesdropping here. People say Hogwarts is safe. They say it’s the safest place on earth, the safest wizarding school, but it's  _not_. You’d be smart to remember that.”

Balthazar glanced from side to side lazily.

“If that’s all you wanted from me, then I must be going. I have other business to attend to, as you may already know. I assume that you won’t want me to tell Castiel of this meeting next time I see him?”

Balthazar said it so offhandedly, as if all of this didn’t really matter in the end.

Dean couldn’t say anything against it. Balthazar grinned, but there was no happiness in it. It was wry and sour, a bit dead inside.

“Good chat, then.”

And with that, Balthazar stepped back into his shadows. And with that, Dean’s conscious suffered the consequences of knowing too much from the wrong sources.

Dean had heard about it. The strange leave of absence Professor Josie Sands took for a period of time when Christmas Break had ended. Dean didn’t think much of it. That is, not until he was invited  _personally_ by the professor to have a quick chat with her.

Dean wasn’t sure why he was being called to the Head of Hufflepuff’s office. He was sure he was keeping his grades up. He didn’t remember causing any havoc around school, nor had he made any crazy outbursts as he did during his first few months at Hogwarts. Sure, Dean had been getting more and more crap from Professor Walker in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but that was probably because Dean couldn’t stand the strange obsession the professor had towards him and Dean had become bolder with Cas by his side. Dean hoped it wasn’t about that. Dean really hoped it wasn’t because Professor Walker planned on twisting a story to leave Dean in a very compromised position.

When Professor Sands finally walked into the room, it was not a look of disappointment, but caring eyes, a loving smile. Dean wasn’t sure if this was a test or something. Most people didn’t just smile at him like that without wanting something. True kindness was hard to come by from what Dean knew.

“Dean Winchester,” said Professor Sands, sitting down at her desk, “I’m so glad that you were able to come to my office for a meeting. I know you are busy with your studies.”

“Uh…it was no problem,” said Dean, still feeling tense, but now more unsure of what was going on than anything else.

“I just wanted to say how proud I am of you. New to the school, moved from muggle school to muggle school with only yourself to teach yourself and catch up to the students here, and you’re still coming out top of your class.”

“Not really,” grumbled Dean, “I heard Tessa McKeon has the first place position in class rankings.”

“That’s only if you count Beauxbatons, and I, Mr. Winchester, do not.”

Dean glanced around, still not getting why he was there. Was he really there…for a good thing? Dean wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Do you know why I took a small leave of absence, Mr. Winchester?” asked Professor Sands.

Dean rattled his brain.

“You were out on a retreat,” Dean began to recall, “There was a gathering of charms experts and you were all exchanging new ideas and tricks of the trade or something like that?”

There was a glint in her eyes.

“Oh, Mr. Winchester,” said Professor Sands, “Do you really think I was out making friends with charmers?”

Dean definitely felt like he missed something.

“Then…what were you doing?”

Professor Sands took out a piece of parchment and began to write down some notes.

“If you are as smart as your grades profess, than I think you should take these instructions and follow them carefully,” said Professor Sands, handing him the notes she had just made.

She began to take out a sheet from her desk. It already had something on it - a sketch. A mouse. She looked at the sketch with a mixture of emotions Dean wasn’t sure he was supposed to detect.

“You will find a patronus similar to this, I believe, waiting for you there. That will lead you from there,” she explained.

Dean skimmed through the notes. The instructions were directions to a specific location a little ways outside of the Hogwarts premises.

“If you want to follow these directions, then go next weekend. Saturday. At night. It would probably be best to bring no one, but I know you’re a social kid. I’m sure you wouldn’t get killed if you brought someone along, if you felt nervous about it,” said Professor Sands.

“But you haven’t explained anything,” I said, “What is all of this about?”

Professor Sands smiled.

“Oh, I can’t give away all the mystery,” said Professor Sands, “Just know that I am sure you’d regret it if you didn’t do what I suggest. Not for any of my own reasons, but your own.”

Dean was getting tired of everyone and their mothers being all cryptic with him. For once, he wished someone would just be blunt. Just very, very  _blunt_. And not because Dean did something for them, just because being ominous and vague was  _annoying_ and Dean didn’t like living a life haunted constantly by secrets people assume Dean should know and taunt him with the information because Dean obviously didn’t know because  _no one cared to tell him_.

Nonetheless, Dean folded the sheets of paper and put them in his pocket.

“Sorry for keeping you here so long, Mr. Winchester. I’m glad you came, though. It is nice to see you,” said Professor Sands as she showed him to the door.

Dean wasn’t sure if it was exactly the same for Dean. Dean would know whether or not it was nice to see her when he decided on whether or not he would do what her instructions asked of him.

“Dean…”

Dean just kept screwing around.

“Dean…stop it, really…”

Dean just kept making that face.

“ _We’re in the middle of class_ ,” Cas whispered, trying to hold back smile as he tried to figure out what to do with the plant in front of him.

Dean had been caring less and less about his surroundings lately. Whenever Cas was around, Dean was just…he didn’t know. Happier, he supposed. If he would allow himself to think that.

“You’re such a dork, Dean Winchester,” grumbled Donna, who was stuck with Gavin McLeod as a partner for Herbology ever since Cas started coming back to class and clinging to Dean’s side like a spider monkey in a _Twilight_ movie, “Stop messing with him and  _help me_. Those whats-its are about to start  _crawling on my shoes_ and I think they  _eat flesh_.”

“They’re not whats-its, Donna, they are Walking Plants. They’re supposed to walk. And no, they do not eat flesh,” grumbled Cas.

Dean had noticed that as far as herbology went, Cas took anyone’s ignorance of everything that was anything about plants as a personal insult.

“ _Sorry_ that plants aren’t my forte, Cas,” said Donna huffily, rolling her eyes in an exasperated way, “It’s not like I plan to be a herbology teacher or anything.”

“Oh, don’t be too hard on her. I didn’t even know what the hell the plants were until you explained them to me,” Dean said, giving Cas a small, one-handed shoulder massage.

Cas sighed.

“Fine,” said Cas, “But this doesn’t mean you can do this every herbology class. I won’t accept stupidity, Donna Hanscum.”

“Whatever. Looks like class is over anyways,” said Donna, “I’m just  _so glad_ Gavin was sick or this would have been another class session of Gavin just staring awkwardly at me as I mess up  _yet again_.”

“Come on, you’re not that bad at this, Donna,” said Dean as they all walked out of herbology.

Donna gave him a deadpan stare.

“Okay, maybe a little bit,” said Dean.

“Anyways, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go to the Owlery. Expecting another letter,” she said giddily, rushing off.

Dean groaned.

“Something’s not right there and I’m not quite sure what. Do you ever get the feeling that there’s something right in front of you but you just can’t put your finger on it?” asked Dean.

Cas sighed.

“I know that feeling far too well,” said Cas.

Dean glanced down at his watch. He knew Cas was looking at it too.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come?” asked Cas.

Dean shook his head.

“Nah. I…I sort of want to do this alone,” said Dean, “I’ll catch you later, though, okay?”

Cas sighed, nodding as he squeezed Dean’s hand. He walked away swiftly, leaving Dean to his own thoughts. It was nerve wracking. He wasn’t sure if this was the smart thing to do or the right thing to do, or hell, if this would come back to eventually bite him in the butt someday. He just…he just knew it had to be done.

Dean sat next to the Quidditch field, staring at the empty space casually. He wondered if he would have the chance to join the Quidditch team next year. It was just a thought, really, a whimsical thought that would probably never come to being, but it was a nice thing to think about, easier than what would proceed.

“Dean?”

Dean stood up.

“Hey, Sammy,” said Dean, hugging his little brother.

Dean wondered if it would ever be this simple again. Just class and secret squeezes and hugs from a brother who still loved him. Dean knew his world was going to crumble within itself, this was all just too good to be true, but the denial switch was on high and blasting away obviously bad signals.

“What’s up, Dean? Why’d you ask to meet with me?” asked Sam.

“Because you’re so popular! I had to pencil in a meeting with you, I can’t just pop in anymore. Too many girls hanging out with you. Didn’t know you were such a lady killer,” said Dean, grinning.

Sam shrugged.

“I don’t really like any of them that much. They’re nice, I guess,” said Sam.

“They’re nice, I guess? Sammy, you’re not going to be all indifferent about this forever. One day, you’re going to meet a person who’s going to make you do crazy things you never thought you’d do, gives you something you never thought you would ever dream of having, and when you meet that person, well…”

Dean stopped himself, clearing his throat.

“You go on and meet others because nobody needs craziness in their lives,” said Dean, trying to recover from that…whatever he almost went into.

Sam raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not sure what any of that means, Dean,” said Sam.

Dean realized he was so screwed. He didn’t practice what he was going to say at all. He had no clue how to say this.

“Uh…Sam…I need to, uh…tell you…something important,” said Dean, wincing as his usually charm evaded him, his words becoming awkward and gangly.

He sat Sam down on the grass with him, more for his own benefit than Sam’s.

“What is it, Dean?” asked Sam, getting a bit impatient.

Dean was desperate, trying to think of a way to ease into this.

“I used to think I’d only like flowers,” said Dean.

Dean didn’t look at Sam. He knew Sam was probably as confused as Dean was as he tried to think of a metaphor for all of this.

“And you know, that was fine, because, Merlin’s beard, flowers are wonderful and beautiful. Can’t discount flowers for being awesome. Never thought I would like bees, though.”

Dean was sure his metaphor was going to crash and burn in a heap of what-the-hell-are-you-trying-to-say flames.

“I mean - well - it’s not like I never  _thought_ of bees. It’s just…it was more of an inkling, and I’d stop immediately, because…I didn’t think it would be okay to like bees. Sometimes I still wonder if…it’s okay…but you know, one day, I - I met this bee. And this bee, well…I began to think that, okay, so maybe I like bees. Maybe I like flowers too. Hell, maybe I like bees and flowers and I'm  _okay_ with that, maybe, it’s okay to like bees, to like  _both bees and flowers_ and even with liking both, choosing a  _bee_ would be okay. And…And…”

Dean glanced over at Sam who was fifteen shades of what-is-Dean-trying-to-say.

“And…uh…you see…the point of this is…uh…”

Sam just kept staring. Dean was choking.

“…uh…”

“It’s that I’m his boyfriend. Castiel Novak. I think we’ve met before, Sam?”

Dean began to literally choke on his own spit, scared as hell at what was going on. He told Cas he could handle this.  _He told Cas he could frigging handle this_. And now he was staring at the two most important people in his life and - wow, when did Cas become one of Dean’s most important people, Dean didn’t know. All he knew was that he was scared as hell and he didn’t think he could keep dating Cas if Sam disapproved, because Sam was just too important.

“Um…okay.”

Dean glanced from Cas to Sam.

“Okay, then. Nice chat,” said Cas.

“WAIT, THAT’S ALL?” blurted Dean, “THAT’S ALL YOU’RE GOING TO SAY?”

Cas tilted his head.

“What did you expect?” asked Cas inquisitively.

Sam stood up awkwardly.

“Dean…Cas was the one who saved you from the Forbidden Forest. If Cas didn’t save you…you’d be dead. You honestly think I’d hate him?” asked Sam.

Dean couldn’t help but smile. He couldn’t think of anything to say.

“If that’s all, then I’m going back. I have something to do,” said Sam, walking off.

“That went well,” said Cas bluntly.

Dean couldn’t help but laugh.

“Better than I expected, that’s for sure,” said Dean.

“You give so much of your loyalty to the people around you yet you expect so little from them. You need trust more,” said Cas.

Dean wasn’t sure if he could.

“That’s easier said than done,” said Dean, just glad that he didn’t have to break up with Cas.

_**TO BE CONTINUED……** _


	17. Time Travelers

SPN at Hogwarts: Time Travelers

Donna tapped Dean on the shoulder. Dean glanced at her.

“What?” he whispered, annoyance in his tone, “We’re in the middle of class, I’m missing what Professor Snyder is saying.”

“I, uh,” she said, clearing her throat nervously, “I…just wanted to ask you…uh…”

Dean gave her a quick glare.

“Come on, just say it,” grumbled Dean, scribbling down notes as best as he could.

“I was wondering where Cas was,” blurted Donna timidly, “I mean, he hasn’t been to class in  _three days_. He’s been glued to you for over a month. What happened?”

Dean froze.

He honestly didn’t know. Dean didn’t think much about it at first. How Ennis, David, and Violet had suddenly been spirited away. How Cas had suddenly been nowhere to be found, that the only glimpses of him with April, with Professor Naomi Shurley, with Professor Chuck Shurley and people Dean had only heard offhandedly by Cas or by shady reputation. People like Michael Shurley who worked higher up in the Ministry of Magic and Uriel Novak who was head of the Aurors.

Dean didn’t quite feel the space between them during those times, however. It was more when Dean sat down at class and didn’t feel the warmth of Cas sitting too close for it to be normal. Dean didn’t feel the distance until Dean said a muggle reference and Dean didn’t see that head tilt, didn’t hear the strange remarks back as Cas tried to decipher his words. Dean didn’t truly feel the cracks in their relationship until Dean walked into a empty hallway and didn’t feel a hand hold his own, didn’t feel a kiss stolen.

“I don’t know what’s happening to him, man,” mumbled Dean, his whole being drooping in held off depression, “He’s always been so mysterious. Hates to push his frigging problems onto others.”

Dean wasn’t sure if it was just that, though. Dean wasn’t sure if  _he_ had done something to push Cas away. He thought back to Balthazar and his unnerving discussion with the older student. Dean wondered if Balthazar lied to Dean. Dean wondered if Balthazar told Cas in the end, told Cas everything.

“Well, it’s not like you’ve honestly been that forthright with your problems, Dean,” said Donna.

Dean shifted in his seat uncomfortably, knowing that what Donna said was true. Maybe  _that_ was what pushed Cas away. Maybe it was because Dean never really talked about his father to Cas, that Dean rarely spoke about his time outside of Hogwarts.

“It’s not like he asks about my problems,” Dean said lowly, but Dean knew by Donna’s look that it was a crap excuse.

“You really think that’s how a relationship works, you  _idiot_?” Donna said, kicking Dean in the shin under their table, “No wonder Cas isn’t coming to class anymore. Thanks a lot for getting rid of one of the only people who  _talks to me_. You may have a bajillion friends but  _I don’t_ so you better make this fine or else  _I will make you wish you never met the wonderful guy who actually listens to the Witching Hour_. I mean,  _who am I supposed to talk to about the Witching Hour without Cas,_ DEAN? WHO?”

Dean felt really awkward about that. Throughout the past month or so, Cas had become more and more friendly with Donna, or at least as close as he got to most people.

“I will, Donna, I will,  _Merlin’s beard_ ,” said Dean guiltily.

Donna sighed.

“I’m more worried about you, honestly,” whispered Donna, “I mean…have you seen you these past couple of days? Trudging around like some zombie. Moping about with that constant pouty face. Barely a joke or a weird reference has come from you since Cas took it on himself to go cold turkey on you.”

Cas cringed when she said that. Cold Turkey. It’s not like Dean was _bad_ for Cas. Dean…Dean didn't  _think_ he was bad for Cas. He knew Cas was good for him! He knew that having Cas around…it made him a better person, more open and secure. When Cas was around, hell, he felt like he could  _believe in himself for once_ in a way he never thought he could.

Dean never thought about his impact on the nerdy little guy, though. Was he…was he  _really_ that bad of an influence on Cas? That he’d just drop Dean like this, with no rhyme or reason, no explanation? Dean hoped he wasn’t. He really hoped he wasn’t.

“Mr. Winchester? Mr. Winchester?”

Dean looked up to see Professor Snyder gaze at him indifferently. Dean straightened up.

“Yes, Professor?” asked Dean.

“I just asked you a question, Mr. Winchester,” said the Professor, “Now, do you or do you not know what year Gellert Grindelvald was defeated by Dumblerdore?”

“Uh, yes, sir,” said Dean, “1945.”

Professor Snyder nodded.

“Good,” said Snyder, “I wish you were paying attention to class, but I can’t say that you’re the best in this class for nothing.”

Dean sunk into his seat. He hated the attention he was getting from that comment, the wandering, jealous eyes set on him with spite. He knew Professor Snyder did that on purpose. The History Professor tended to do this to Dean when he started to slack. Dean almost hated the guy for that.

Snyder took out his pocket watch and grimaced.

“Looks like this class is history for now. Please remember to read up on the period between Grindelvald’s fall and the Rise of Voldemort by next session,” said the professor as the students began to shuffle out.

“Come on, Dean,” said Donna, basically dragging him out of his seat, “If you keep moving at this pace, we’ll get to potions by next week.”

“You can just come with me, Donna,” said Gavin, moving in from behind and pulling Donna close as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, “I hate it when my partner’s last in class anyways.”

“Hey! I’m not last in class usually!” hissed Donna as she got farther and farther ahead, Gavin picking up her pace.

Dean blinked, watching the two. It was strange, really. He never thought Gavin would actually…well, be  _friendly_ with Donna. Ever since they were shoved together whenever partners were involved in class, Gavin seemed to soften up. It was sort of nice. Seeing Donna making friends outside of his own social group. Not that Dean thought it was bad that Donna became friends with his own friends, but more that Donna was, well…growing. It was nice.

“Hey! Hey, Dean!”

Dean grinned as Sam rushed up to him.

“Hey, Sammy! What’s up?”

Sam seemed distracted.

“Uh - nothing really. Isn’t that your friend over there? Donna or whatever?”

Dean wasn’t sure why Sam was so curious.

“Yeah?”

“Who’s that?” asked Sam.

“Oh, uh, Gavin. Donna doesn’t make friends easily, but she seems to be getting close to the guy. Good for her, right?” said Dean, not sure why he was telling Sam all of this. He wasn’t even sure why Sam wanted to know any of this.

“I guess,” grumbled Sam, “Got to go. See you, Dean.”

And like that, Dean was left to his thoughts. He decided not to go to potions that day.

Dean didn’t know why he was doing this. It was a stupid idea, really. It’s not like Professor Sands had shown herself to be distrustful, yet…something about the whole atmosphere she brought this suggestion to him in screamed fishy, to say the least. Nonetheless, Dean had nothing better to do and his curiosity was killing him. Instincts aside, Dean followed those instructions, followed them and waited for the Patronus.

Dean had been waiting there for an hour and was starting to wonder whether or not this was some sort of cruel practical joke. Dean was about to leave, too, right before he saw a small mouse scurry over to him.

The patronus was a scruffy looking mouse. More like a field mouse than anything else. It’s nose twitched, glancing up at Dean as if it had eyes. For a moment, all Dean could do was stare at the thing in disbelief.

Finally, the patronus moved. It scurried a few meters deeper into the Forbidden Forest before it turned around, glancing back at Dean. Dean began to follow the patronus, hoping Dean wasn’t being led astray. Dean had been used too many times to not be wary about this.

Dean found himself going deeper and deeper into the mysterious forest, remembering the horrors that lay in them during his last venture into the woods. But something about the mouse was…well, it was  _soothing_. Something drew Dean to it that Dean didn’t understand.

Finally, Dean saw something in the distance. It was something Dean hadn’t seen the last time he came through this dangerous place. In the distance there was a field. A long, winding field with something that looked like an archaic house in the middle. Dean wondered who would live in such a place. Why would someone want to live in such an isolated way, in such a deadly environment?

 _Probably because they were dangerous_. The thought just blossomed without Dean even taking the time to think. Dean shivered at the thought. Who was powerful enough to think they could just live here peacefully, knowing  _nothing_ would be stupid enough to attack them? Was this truly a place Dean wanted to go?

Dean didn’t know. He honestly didn’t know. All he knew was that the mouse patronus was getting farther and farther away and Dean didn’t want to lose it.

The house was older than Dean thought it was, more archaic than archaic, and there was something unerringly horrible about it. As if it were misplaced in time, as if it should have never been there in the first place. Something kept pulling Dean towards it, though. He only stopped to stare at the line of Langstroth hives. He stared at them, stared at the bees.

They reminded Dean of Cas. They reminded Dean of a day where he had found Cas sprawled on the Quidditch field, watching a flower in the distance. Dean had sat down next to him - laid down, really - and tried to see what Cas was seeing. When Dean asked, Cas simply said he was watching the bees. And there, they sat for a few hours, just staring at the bees. Dean didn’t know why Cas wanted to watch those bees, but Dean stayed there to try to understand.

The bees gave him such mixed feelings.

Dean tensed up. There was a sound nearby. An aura of some sort he could just  _feel_ in the air. Dean felt raw from seeing those bees. But then…there was that patronus again. That small, field mouse patronus. Dean didn’t know why, but…that mouse was soothing.

“So you’re Dean Winchester?”

Dean could hear someone walking over to him.

“I didn’t think John’s eldest kid would look so…well, you’ve got delicate features. I’m sure you’ve heard that before, though.”

Dean turned to see a man he’d never seen before. He was young. Older than Dean, probably by a decade or so, but his eyes were youthful, naive in some way Dean hadn’t felt since his mother was alive. Something about his eye color, that  _hair_ …it reminded Dean of someone.

The rest of him felt quite alien to Dean, though. The slight figure, as if he hadn’t punched a man in his life. He looked like a man who’d spent most of his life indoors, with skin pale as that. He was wearing clothes that cost more than everything Dean owned.

Dean narrowed his eyes.

“Who’s asking?”

When the man stepped forward, Dean stepped back. Some of Dean’s tension left him when the patronus scurried over to the man, disappearing as it went. There was this sad smile on his face.

“Field mice,” said the man, “Millie was always fond of them. Said they were her favorite animals.”

Millie. Dean had heard that name before. He didn’t remember where, but he knew a Millie from hearsay and whispers.

“I suppose it makes sense that…that my patronus became what it is now. After I heard that…well…An owl doesn’t quite fit her memory.”

There was a sullenness to this man. Dean was suddenly afraid of knowing who this was. He felt like he should run. He felt like he never should have came.

“I heard you’re the best in your class,” said the man, “Just as I suspected from you. Your brother seems to be doing just as well. I’m just glad you two took that from me, at the very least. Or perhaps you found it in Millie. She had the chance to go to college, and back then, well, that was a rarity within itself. Majored in the sciences, though she was always good with her hands. Tinkered with cars with her father and brothers on days off from assisting at the lab.”

Dean didn’t quite understand. Dean wasn’t sure if he wanted to understand. The words came out of his mouth anyways.

“Who are you?”

The man extended his hand.

“Henry Winchester, and I must say, it is a pleasure to me-”

Dean punched the twerp in the face, the fragile man tumbling backwards onto the ground. He groaned, standing up as he held his face gingerly.

“Is that how your father taught you how to greet a man?”

Dean spat a laugh out.

“Yeah,” said Dean, nodding, “Actually, yeah, that’s how he taught me how to greet people like you. You know, the ones who _abandon_   _their own children_.”

“That…that wasn’t planned. Not at all. You have to understand that, Dean,” said Henry, wincing as his cheek began to swell a bit.

“Like it's  _ever_ okay to do that to a kid, whether or not you  _meant to_ ,” Dean hissed, “I swear, when I have children, I will  _never do what you did_.”

Henry nodded.

“And that will probably be for the best. I hope you don’t. I pray you never have to.”

There was something horrifying in his voice. Something dark under the calculative and logical tone Henry had. Dean wasn’t sure if fear or anger was the correct response to it.

“I didn’t bring you hear to talk about John, though,” said Henry, “While I have much to repair in that area of my life, well…we unfortunately have more pressing matters to attend to.”

Dean didn’t like the sound of that.

“What could be more important than family?” said Dean, disbelief washing over him.

Henry looked hurt, but shook off the comment rather quickly.

“You can’t just be selfish and think only of what you hold dear. Sometimes, you have to look at the big picture. Try to stop a looming evil before you think of your own problems.”

Dean glared at him.

“And is that what you’ve been doing? You’ve been just - what - sitting in that stupid house over there, fighting the good ol’ fight since you left my dad all alone with his mom, left them poor as hell?”

Dean could tell a part of Henry was breaking.

“Please,” said Henry quietly, “I  _didn’t_ mean for this…I didn’t mean to leave John  _behind_ , Millie behind…I can’t do anything about it, though. I have to push forward now.”

Something was off.

“Why do you want to talk to me, anyways? You disappeared without a trace when my dad was a kid, and now, what? Is this ‘recruit your grandson for your shady activities day’ or something?”

Henry shook his head.

“You’re mistaken to think  _I_ was the one who recruited you, Dean,” said Henry, “Make no mistake, I do truly want to be part of your life. Part of yours as well as John’s and Sam’s lives, but…I was not the one who recruited you.”

Dean was confused.

“Who, then?”

“Actually, I did.”

Dean wasn’t sure what to expect from the man dressed in the beekeeping outfit. he didn’t seem exactly horrible. Dean didn’t get that sort of air from him. No, there was something tragic about this man. Why else would he be out here in the middle of nowhere, tending to these bees? 

“Are we just going to play Guess Who or are you going to tell me your name?” asked Dean.

The beekeeper smiled.

“You’re more like me than I thought you would be,” said the beekeeper, “Strange how after so many generations, history just loves repetition.”

Dean didn’t like where this conversation was going. From what Dean knew about prophecy and fate, well, nothing seemed good to him.

“Cain,” said the man.“

Dean waited.

"What? No last name?” asked Dean.

“No. Just Cain.”

“And why would you want me here, Just Cain?” asked Dean, crossing his arms.

Cain turned and began to walk into his house.

“Come on, Dean. We’ll talk about this inside,” said Henry.

Dean glanced at his young grandfather. He didn’t understand how he looked so  _young_.

“If he wanted me, why were you brought here?” Dean asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” said Henry, “We all must play our roles. All the world’s a stage and the play’s the thing. How must we find the truth in actions if we don’t set up scenarios to shed light on that truth?”

“What about  _ask_?” asked Dean incredulously.

Henry sighed.

“If only it were so simple,” said Henry, “But it won’t be so for us. Not on this matter.”

The inside was quaint. Dated, yes, but not horrible. It was actually sort of homey, kind of…well… _nice_.

“Sit down,” said Cain, putting his beekeeping equipment away, “It will probably be best for all of us if we sit.”

Hesitantly, Dean sat down on the ancient couch, unsure of the situation he was in. Should he really be there?

“Now, it has come to my attention that you are close friends with a young man by the name of Castiel Novak. Is that correct, Dean?”

Dean tensed. Cas. All this vagueness, all this mystery, it all  _was connected to Cas_ and that  _terrified Dean_.

Dean gulped.

“Yeah,” said Dean, “What’s it to you?”

Henry and Cain gave each other looks, as if talking to one another in some silent code.

“Dean,” said Henry, trying to find the words, “Dean, this may be hard for you to understand right now, but…Castiel…he’s going to become someone  _very dangerous_ soon. He could hurt a lot of people. He could..do a lot of  _horrible things_.”

Dean glared.

“Cas wouldn’t do that. This is Cas we’re talking about. He…”

Dean paused.

“…He…”

Dean  _was_ going to say Cas couldn’t hurt a fly, but that would be a flat out lie. Dean knew Cas could do more than just hurt a fly. He had seen Cas do more than just that.

“…He’d rather help people than hurt. He wants to be a healer, not some hammer.”

Henry shook his head.

“No,” said Henry, “He definitely has the ability to become something haunting. You may be clouded by your friendship with him, but we are not. There’s a storm coming, and we intend to make sure it doesn’t destroy us all.”

Dean couldn’t believe this. He _wouldn’t_. He  _trusted_ Cas, he wouldn’t let some strangers tell him that Cas was anything less than a good person.

“I didn’t see it happening to Colette.”

That grabbed Dean’s attention. He turned to Cain.

“Colette…she was so  _good_. She meant  _well_ , she wanted to be a good person, she made me want to be a _better person_. I was a monster, once upon a time. Someone who couldn’t look himself in the mirror, someone who gave into giving pain because taking pain was too much. I was a coward before her, a righteous man who wanted to do what was right, but fell into the grasps of darkness. And she?”

He laughed somberly.

“People came. They warned me. They warned me and I thought I could protect her from that fate. I thought I could save her like she saved me. I distanced us from others, I made sure we were somewhere hard to find, hard to get to. We were  _happy_. But…the next round of people weren’t as concerned. They managed to take me out, almost killed me, made  _her think I was dead_. That was when…she  _gave in_. They told her she could save me from death if she  _gave in to those inner demons of hers_. And she did. She gave in and  _became a monster_ , something godlike and fearful.”

He began to roll up his sleeve. On his forearm was the strangest mark.

“I had to take matters into my own hands. You see, Dean, I’m cursed. This mark of mine allows me to live without death. It brings me the power to kill  _gods_ like what she became…”

There was this pause. This terrifying pause that made Dean want to flee. Because deep in his heart, he just  _knew_ what was coming next. He just  _couldn’t_.

“No.”

Dean didn’t know what he was saying no to, it was just…

“No.”

He shook his head, his lips trembled.

“You need to take it, Dean. Before it’s too late, before Castiel does something he will forever regret - Take it. Stop him from becoming a monster.”

“I - I  _can’t_ ,” said Dean, feeling his eyes watering, panic filling him, “You can’t ask me that. You just  _can’t_. You don’t understand. I can’t do that to Cas. Cas is  _family_. Sam and I - We need Cas….I…I  _need_ Cas.”

Dean felt fear swarming within him, taking over. He didn’t know how they would react to this. He didn’t know what he was saying. All he knew was that it was all true and he couldn’t do it.

Dean stood up.

“I’ll stop him. I’ll make sure he doesn’t. Please!…Just…Please don’t ask me to do that,” begged Dean.

Henry stood up.

“Cain, I think we should give him a chance,” said Henry.

Cain looked away.

“We are so alike that it hurts,” said Cain.

“No,” Dean said, shaking his head, “If we were so alike, than you should know that I would never want anyone to ask that of me.”

Cain laughed bitterly.

“I ask you this  _because_ I’m the only one in this group who understands the pain of this. I know how this will all end.”

“No. I highly doubt that. Prophecies are broken everyday. I won’t. I can’t. I will never,” said Dean.

“It may be a bit early to say you’d never,” Cain said gravely.

Cain glanced from Henry to Dean.

“Fine. Have it your way, Dean. Don’t take up your family’s burden,” said Cain, “But remember that I will be here for you when you’re ready, because trust me when I say that you  _will_ come back one day in the near future, cursing that you didn’t take this while you had an easier target.”

“If it’s fine with you, then, I’m going to leave,” said Dean, “I’m tired of you two trying to convince me I should kill my boyfriend.”

There was a tense silence.

“I think I’ll walk him out,” said Henry, ushering Dean towards the door.

“Even if we’re meeting under such harsh circumstances, I’m glad that I was able to meet you,” said Henry, walking past the beehives with Dean, “I would like to meet with you once more. Not for a higher mission of any sort, but…just to get to know you. You and Sam. Possibly your father, if we can find him. He’s a nomadic man. I don’t know where he got _that_ from.”

“Maybe. I’ll…I’ll have to think about it. I have a lot to think about,” said Dean, feeling tired.

Henry nodded.

“Of course,” said Henry, “my patronus will lead the way back.”

Dean took comfort with the field mouse, walking with it and wondering what his grandmother was like.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_ **


	18. The Birthday

SPN at Hogwarts: The Birthday

[ ](https://24.media.tumblr.com/ff1fdc46492cf4707c4c36baaf390aa8/tumblr_mnrlaqxTbB1s8l4eao1_500.gif)

Dean hadn’t talked to Castiel in a month. No warmth too close to be normal near Dean during class. No impromptu morning breakfasts together. No gazing at the sky or watching the bees. No stolen kisses in dark hallways. No nothing. Nothing at all. Hell, Dean hadn’t even  _seen_ Castiel in two weeks, not even out of the corner of his eyes. It was terrifying.

“Dean?”

Dean didn’t move. His eyes were closed. He was just laying there, laying on Charlie’s bed as he always did when he was troubled.

“Dean, I know you’re awake. At least scooch so I can lay next to you.”

Dean groan, giving Charlie space as she lay next to him.

“So?” she asked.

Dean opened his eyes, blearily glancing up at the poster of Felicia Day.

“So what?” grumbled Dean, failing to feign innocence on the matter.

He could just _tell_ by her look that he was failing at feigning innocence. He turned away from that knowing look of hers, hating how she could just  _look_ through him like that. He hated that he could be seen in such a vulnerable light. He didn’t need this. He didn’t need the worried looks, the protection it made him feel because in the end he knew  _everyone would fail in truly protecting him from anything_. He knew Charlie couldn’t help him. He knew Cas couldn’t save him.  _So much for promises_ , Dean had thought.

“Have you seen Cas lately?” asked Charlie, dipping her toes into the deep end.

Dean rubbed his eyes.

“Cas has his own life, his own problems. I can’t pull him away from his crap when he needs to deal with it,” grumbled Dean, trying, and again failing, to not sound distant and a bit insecure on the matter.

“Dean…”

Charlie sounded worried, unsure about whether or not she should be saying what she was saying.

“…Dean…are you sure that you and Cas are still…?”

She didn’t have to finish. Dean closed his eyes and tried not to think about it.

“I don’t know. I don’t know if we ever really were. It’s not like we ever…told anybody, ever…or…we never said anything really to each other about it…not really…”

It felt like something to Dean. He thought it was something, with those lazy days slumped onto one another and relaxed smiles splashed on their faces from jokes they’d only get. With Cas, Dean felt… _at home_. For the first time in a very long time Dean had felt  _at home_ and he didn’t know how much it would hurt to have that feeling scraped out of his chest once more as quickly as it flew in until it was already gone.

“It  _was_ something, Dean. Whether you’d like to admit it or whether Cas will ever show that it was, there was  _something_ _there_ and it was something that made you happier than you’d been in a long time. If Cas never felt how that relationship made you two better, then I feel sorry for  _him_.”

Dean couldn’t help but smile. Eyes watery, something in him feeling as if it was breaking admitting that he did feel like a better person with Cas around. But he couldn’t help but hear what Charlie had said and think how stupid this all was. Dean hated that he thought that, for once, someone would be able to stay with him for the long hall.

_I believe some choices are worth fighting for._

Dean could laugh at those words. If some choices were worth fighting for, did Cas not see  _Dean as a choice to fight for_? Cas was right about one thing when it came to Dean Winchester. He  _wasn’t_  some kidnapped princess. He wasn't going to let the people around him control him, not anymore. He wasn’t going to lean on people anymore - it wasn’t like the people around him ever truly helped him in the end. No one ever stuck around long enough to.

Dean stood up.

“Dean? What are you doing?”

He sighed, glancing around the room.

“I don’t know. I just know I have to keep on my two feet. Walk on my own without all these crutches around me.”

He heard Charlie shift into a sitting position.

“Dean, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. People like me and Benny and Garth - we’re here for you.”

Dean laughed sourly.

“But in the end, you can’t do much, can you?”

There was a tension, something uneasy in the silence.

“Yeah,” said Dean, his confidence in what he said solidifying, “That’s what I thought.”

Dean began to walk towards the door.

“You can’t act like that, Dean! We’re doing the best we can, just like you,” said Charlie.

Dean doesn’t stop walking.

“Well, sometimes our best is just not enough, now, is it?”

And with that, Dean was gone.

Dean was laying on the quidditch field, staring at the sky. The sky was so filled with clouds that everything was just white. White, grayish skies that didn’t darken enough for a coming rain and Dean was just gazing up at that layer between him and the reflected blue of sky.

“Dean Winchester?”

Dean glanced away from the blank canvas of a sky to see the teacher with the golden eyes. Dean turned his sight away from the person who represented so much mystery and bad.

“Are you really not going to talk to me? I’m a professor at this school, I deserve some form of respect.”

“Well, I respectfully decline this conversation,” said Dean curtly.

“I’ve noticed that you haven’t been your social self lately. I mean, you were down in the books since you’ve gotten here, but now, you’re not even  _eating_ with anyone. I mean, all the Ravenclaws are throwing a fit that dark horse Dean Winchester has become top of the class, including the visiting students, but I guess that came with the no social life gig you’ve been running the last two weeks.”

“What does that matter to you? You’re not my professor, you’re not even my house head.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t have to care. You may not be a fan of the Order, but we’re a fan of you, hell, I’m just a fan of your work.”

Dean sat up, turning to Professor Gabriel Shurley.

“What do you mean by ‘my work’?” asked Dean.

Something really pissed Dean off about that. The impersonal way that came across.

“You really did something on Cassie when you were around.”

Professor Shurley sat down next to Dean.

“Castiel hasn’t been much of a talker. He always kept to himself for the most part, ever since I met him. He’s always a bit nervous and shy around me. Maybe because we haven’t known about one another for a long while. It’s not like good ol’ Dad had been much of a warm guy to him, nor was Michael nor Luci. Hell, Michael thought mom would be rolling over in her grave if she found out Dad had a fling with some fringe family nobody. Luci didn’t even look at Cassie, he just  _looked through the kid like he wasn’t even there_. All I saw was another younger brother to love…and you know, that was  _nice_.”

The white in the clouds was beginning to dim, darker clouds passing through the area.

“He was in a bad place when I met him. Found out a year after he started doing…whatever he was doing with the kid. I don’t think Cassie said much more than 'Hello’ to me the first six weeks. I was pissed as hell when I learned the kid wasn’t even getting an education, bullied pops to let him learn how to control his magic.”

Wind was beginning to blow on that field. It seemed so much colder than a spring afternoon should ever be.

“Meg was good to him when she was around. Spunky girl she was. I was the one who originally recruited her to be a double agent. She seemed to help him for a time. Well, before he learned she was WOL, that is, that really made a lot of backtracking ensue. You helped make take back some of that ground, though. That is, until whatever thing you did put him back on track for those pseudo-angel crazy extremists.”

There was a grave sinking feeling inside of Dean and all the lifeboats had just left the Titanic. Dean knew what he did. He didn’t know whether or not Cas knew what Dean did and Dean was going to deny that Cas knew until Dean knew for sure Cas knew.

“You think I could do something?”

“Why wouldn’t I think so?”

Dean spat out a laugh.

“I haven’t seen him in four weeks. I don’t think he wants to see me. If he wants to talk to me, why don’t you get him to come here himself and talk to me,” Dean said dismissively.

Professor Shurley’s face became stoic.

“Sometimes, you can’t do what you want. And sometimes, you need a push to remember what’s better for you.”

Professor Shurley stood up, glancing at the sky.

“Probably not a great day to be outside, Mr. Winchester. Looks like it may rain,” commented Professor Shurley.

Dean could feel a few sprinkles of water come down on him, but he didn’t care. He just laid down once more.

“Goodbye, Professor Shurley,” said Dean coldly.

It never really rained. Drizzled for a few moments, yes, but the sky became white once more with not enough moisture to drown the ones beneath and too much to dissipate. Such a middle place to be. Dean hated that thought of in between, yet he couldn’t stop watching.

Dean was cornered. He couldn’t believe he was cornered yet again. This wasn’t much like him, Dean knew for a fact that he was getting sloppy and lax from all the studying and not hunting.

The people around him? Garth, Charlie, and Benny.

“Brother, we need to talk,” said Benny.

Dean glared at them all. He didn’t need this. He didn’t want this. All he wanted to be was to be left alone. He knew that wasn’t going to happen any time soon, though.

“Come on, Dean,” said Garth, putting a hand on his shoulder, “You’ve been retreating within yourself for a while. Let’s sit some place, I’m sure we could get a drink from the kitchens, talk whatever’s going through your head out.”

Dean pushed Garth’s hand away.

“Nothing to talk about,” said Dean.

Dean began to walk away, but Charlie stepped in front of him.

“How stupid do you think we are, Dean? We know how you work.”

Dean moved Charlie aside.

“Then leave me alone, because there’s nothing to discuss,” said Dean.

Benny walked in front of him.

“Now, we all know that’s not true. Ever since that Castiel fella decided to dine and ditch on your heart, you’ve been in a funk that’s just been progressively getting worse.”

“He didn’t - I’m not - This has nothing to do with him,” said Dean, feeling his own restrain on his emotions crumble a bit.

“It has  _everything_ to do with him and  _you know that, Dean Winchester_ , you don’t need to lie! You know we wouldn’t judge. You know we’re a safe place and - ”

Dean turned to Charlie, tension on him, trying to stop his eyes from tearing up.

“No, you're  _not_. Nobody is. I don’t need help. I don’t need anyone. The only person I know I can rely on is myself, and that’s all I need.”

Dean turned to Benny.

“Move out of the way or, Merlin’s Beard, I’ll beat that beard off of you,” growled Dean.

Dean hated the look. That calm, sympathetic look that made Dean feel guilty about it. Benny stepped to the side peacefully.

“You didn’t need to threaten, brother. I’m here for you, however you need me,” said Benny.

Dean couldn’t stop himself from flashing Benny a thankful look before he could get his act together and keep up a subtly angry pokerface.

Dean basically stomped away, turning the corner when he saw blue eyes that froze him to his spot.

He hadn’t been taking care of himself. His hair was messy, getting longer and blending well with the scruff he that was beginning to show. His clothes looked like they’d been through hell and back, as if he’d been sleeping in the same clothes for weeks. His eyes were painful to look at. Their was hurt and something much worse under them and all Dean wanted to do was ask Cas how he could help, but no words were coming out, his mouth was just agape.

“Dean?”

There was a mixture of surprise and pain in that voice, something desperate that Dean wasn’t letting himself fully understand and Dean was just standing there, staring like some idiot as he saw a hand snake around Cas’ shoulders.

Someone bumped into Dean, making him turn away from those drawing blue eyes.

“Dean? What are you doing standing in the middle of the hallway?”

Dean glanced over to where Cas was, but it was what Dean had feared. Cas had already been spirited away, probably by those of the Garrison.

“Nothing, Sammy,” said Dean, getting himself together quickly, “What’s up with you?”

Sam shrugged lazily.

“Nothing really,” said Sam.

“Really? Not even doing anything for your birthday? It is tomorrow,” said Dean, grinning.

Sam scratched the back of his head.

“I haven’t been thinking about that lately. I’ve been really busy with school work,” said Sam.

“You are such a nerd, you know that?” said Dean.

Sam glared.

“You basically live in the library right now,” grumbled Sam, crossing his arms.

Dean twitched, not liking that Sam was discovering that Dean may or may not be an even bigger nerd than he was.

“Touche, Sammy, touche. Say, if you don’t have any plans, why don’t I take you out? Tomorrow’s a Hogsmeade day and I’m sure I could sneak you over there. We could get some lunch, buy something from Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, have some fun. What do you say, Sammy?”

Sam smiled up at his older brother.

“That would be nice,” said Sam, “Are you sure you’re okay, though?”

Dean tried to smile as best as he could.

“Totally. Don’t worry about me, buddy. Focus on those grades of yours and leave all this worrying about Dean stuff to me,” said Dean, patting his brother’s head.

It terrified Dean that even Sam was picking something up on him. He pushed that to the back of his head, though.

“…and I was like, 'Honey, I don’t know where the bees are, but that man is naked and I can’t drive with him on the car’!”

Sam burst into laughter, butterbeer coming out of his nose. Dean couldn’t help but join in, laughing his face off. Dean handed Sam a napkin.

“What did you do after that?” asked Sam excitedly.

Dean couldn’t stop grinning.

“Well, after the guy finally got off of the freaking car, I was able to drive us all back to town and get the guy some clothes. It was all smooth sailing after that, though, I don’t think we ever found that woman’s bees.”

Sam snorted.

“What was the point of it all then?” asked Sam.

Dean sighed.

“Well, sometimes, things don’t have a point. They just come and go, as time does so often. And it shouldn’t matter too much. Even if it seems important at the time or you feel some sort of passion towards it, sometimes, in the long run…it’s just not going to matter. Sometimes it will just become some story you choose to tell or not.”

Dean glanced at Sam. He knew he was probably boring the kid.

“Thanks for hanging out with me today, Dean. This has been…really nice,” said Sam.

Dean patted Sam’s head.

“The day’s not over yet, buddy,” said Dean.

Sam nodded.

“Right. Let’s, uh, get out of here,” said Sam, stepping off of his stool.

Dean followed suit, walking out of the Three Broomsticks.

“Where do you wanna go, Sam? Honeydukes? Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes?” inquired Dean.

Something felt slightly off, but Dean wasn’t paying attention to that. He was too busy trying to give Sam a great birthday to think about that.

“Actually, I had a better idea.”

Sam turned a corner and stopped in the middle of the alleyway. Dean glanced around, not sure what was going on.

“Sam…what are we doing here?” asked Dean.

Sam looked down at his watch. Suddenly, Cas scrambled down the alley, eyes panicked.

“Sam, you said, you said - ”

Cas stopped, trying to catch his breath as he looked around.

“You said Dean was in trouble?”

Cas looked so confused. Dean didn’t understand.

“Sam…what the hell?” asked Dean.

“Have you even seen yourself? Ever since your boyfriend dropped off the face of the earth, you’ve been doing horrible - and  _no_ , I see that, you are  _not_ going to deny it. I may be a first year, but that doesn’t mean I'm  _stupid_.”

“Sam, this is not the time to - ”

“But Dean, it  _is_ ,” said Sam, glaring.

Sam sighed.

“Look - You’ve been taking care of me all my life. And I’m grateful, I’m always going to be grateful for everything you’ve done for me…but you need to take care of yourself sometimes. For once…I want you to think about yourself. So, I’m going to go and I want you two to at least  _talk_. Because I’m tired of dealing with a mopey older brother.”

Before Dean could stop him, Sam left. Left him with Cas. Dean couldn’t breath. He felt panic filling every part of him.

“Dean…”

Suddenly, all Dean could feel was warmth. Cas had hugged him. Tightly. Shaking.

“Dean, I thought the worst.”

It took Dean a few beats to hug back, but then he stopped himself. He couldn’t trust it. He couldn’t let himself trust it. Not the warmth, never, not again.

“We need to talk, Cas.”

Dean’s voice was hollow and Dean was sure Cas could see it on Dean’s face when he moved away.

“We don’t have anything to talk about, Dean.”

The panic was gone, leaving an uncaring face on the blue eyed man.

“You know that’s not true. We…we both know that.”

When did it become this hard to talk to Cas? How did Dean let it become this bad? Cas narrowed his eyes.

“We  _don’t_ , actually. In fact, I’m quite sure that we never have to speak again,” said Cas.

Dean glared at Cas.

“Oh no, we have a hell of a lot to talk about. Why…why did you leave me like that, man?”

Dean felt emotions rising and he couldn’t stop them.

“Why did you leave me alone without a reason, without knowing what had happened? Dammit, Cas, I…”

Dean hated how vulnerable he felt. Hated the tears that were coming on.

“I can’t take this. I was always worried that I’d be the one to leave you behind, but…I guess I was wrong…”

Dean laughed pitifully, hysterics taking him.

“Oh, don’t act as if you are innocent in this matter, you are not the victim,” hissed Cas, “I trusted you, Dean, I  _trusted you_ and you didn’t have the guts to take a chance on me and trust me as fully as I do you! You…you could have just  _asked_.”

Cas’ voice was so broken, cracked from the stress of saying the words.

“Would you have even told me?” Dean asked quietly.

Cas faltered.

“See?”

“I would have told you when  _I_ was ready. It wasn’t your place.”

Dean knew he was wrong. He was so wrong when it came to what he had done. He should have trusted Cas. He shouldn’t have let his paranoia and baggage lead him astray.

“I’m gonna find some way to redeem myself to you.”

Cas turned, beginning to walk away. Dean rushed over to him, grabbing Cas’ hand.

“I mean it, Cas.”

There was a warmth to that hand. Dean didn’t know he was so cold until Cas hugged him again, until he grabbed Cas’ hand. And for a moment, there was something there, some form of hope as Cas unconsciously squeezed back. But then Cas moved his hand away slowly.

“Trust is hard for me,” said Cas.

Cas glanced back at Dean, but kept walking.

“I’m sorry, Dean.”

_**TO BE CONTINUED…………….** _


	19. The Third Task

SPN at Hogwarts: The Third Task

Dean panicked. He was trying not to, but the rising fear in him was too great to stop. He couldn’t feel anything. His head was ringing. He didn’t know what was going on, everything was dark. He tried to keep his breathing level, but it was hard. Suddenly, there was a flash of red lights and a screeching noise that made Dean’s blood run cold. He tried to get up, but his legs were still asleep, he stumbled and crashed into the wall. The stone wall. He glanced at it. It looked familiar. Like the Hogwarts stonewalls.

Not like them, they  _were_ the Hogwarts stonewalls.

Dean began to crawl away from whatever the hell was making that screeching noise as he tried to remember how the hell he got there and what was even going on. All he remembered was being in the library. He was finishing a paper on the causes of the First Wizarding War when…when he saw Cas. He saw Cas glancing from a bookshelf, terrified. Dean was about to stand up and walk over to the guy, see if he was all right, because Merlin’s Beard, Cas was _shaking_ , but then there was someone grabbing him from behind…and he could see the panic in those beautiful blue eyes of Cas’, they were all he could see in that blackness that swallowed Dean’s world before, well, he found himself in this position.

Dean didn’t know what part of the castle this was, all he knew is it was a part of the castle he’d never been in and he’d been  _everywhere_ in the castle. At least, he thought he knew all the secret nooks and crannies by now. Apparently, he didn’t.

Dean was finally getting his legs back as the screeching noise grew louder and louder. He began running, pissed that he didn’t even have a  _wand to protect himself_. He wondered who’s great idea this was. ‘Ooh, let’s not tell Dean about whatever’s going on and leave him with basically no way to protect himself. Then we can all go out for pie without him’. Dean hated this all. He hoped the people who placed him there would never eat pie again.

Dean was glad he could still keep up some humor, but he was at a fork in the road and he didn’t know what to do. The red lights started flashing again, letting him see the growing vines springing quickly towards him from the right. He cursed as he began running to the left, trying to figure out what the hell was chasing him before he realized he cared less about that and more about not getting caught by the vines.

He found himself at another fork in the road as he faltered. He could barely see. Without the red lights flashing like a strobe light as it did every time they turned on, he could barely see the walls.

Suddenly, something crashed into him, making him topple over. Whatever it was felt person-shaped. Whatever it was was oozing something cold out, some sort of liquid. The red lights began flashing, and Dean could see who it was.

“April?” Dean blurted.

She glared at him like he was the one who brought all the bad into her world.

“What in Merlin’s Beard are you doing here, _Dean Winchester_? Isn’t it enough that you are all people talk about, are you really so needy for attention that you’d sneak into the third task? Are you really that insecure?”

It took a few seconds for that to sink in.

“I’m…I’m in the third task?”

Something clicked in April.

“You…you really don’t know, do you?” she mumbled.

Now that Dean had a better look at her, Dean knew he was in a horrible place. She was bleeding from several places, one particular gash on her right arm being the worst. It looked like she tried to do some of her own stitching, so that means she probably had at least one muggle parent or family member. She had a black eye that was taking bloom and a nasty bump that was ever growing on the other side of her head.

Dean shivered when he thought about Cas. If April was in this bad of shape, how was  _Cas_?

April slowly stepped off of Dean. Dean got up, glancing around the basically dark hall. He was just glad the vines stopped following him. However, that didn’t help with his nerves, not when the screeching sound was coming closer again. Dean could barely see April flinch when the screeching sounds came back. She began to run to the right in the fork.

“Wait - ”

“No, you are not my problem!” she shouted coldly, leaving Dean still very disoriented and unsure of what the hell was going on other than it was the third task.

He heard a scream from April, fire coming down that hall. Dean had no choice, he had to go left, from where April came, wondering what was making the fire but not curious enough to check.

He stumbled down the hallway until there was suddenly no ground at all. He began to fall. The red lights began to flash and all Dean could see was a bottomless pit.

But it wasn’t. It wasn’t bottomless. Dean found himself…on the floor somewhere. He didn’t understand.

It was a large ballroom area with tables and chairs. There was music playing disconcertingly off kilter in the background. The whole place smelled like bad news to Dean.

Dean tried to understand what was going on. He knew it was the third task, he knew it was somewhere in this castle. He was beginning to understand that he was in a labyrinth of some sort, but why? What was the point of all of this? Was it a race to the finish? Was it a scavenger hunt? Dean was going to kill the person who threw him into this deadly game without telling him the rules.

Dean didn’t even understand why he was here in the first place. Who would want him to be in the third task? Was it the Garrison? Was it the Order? It could have been Dumbledore for all Dean knew, and he would never question it, not with all the shady things that had been happening to Dean since he found himself in Hogwarts.

Dean didn’t get the time to catch his breath. The floor was beginning to crumble under his feet and he was pretty sure that he wouldn’t be lucky enough to have two bottomless pit illusions. He began to ran as the red lights flashed again. He could see vines moving towards the ever growing hole in the floor as Dean tried to get the hell out of dodge.

Dean found himself in another corridor, almost blind from the lack of light. Suddenly, Dean felt something grab his ankle. The red lights began to flicker. Dean swore as the vines dragged him back towards the floorless ballroom. Without a wand and still pretty out of it from whatever blacked him out, all Dean could really do was scratch at the floor as he was dragged to his doom.

“FIENDFYRE!”

A fiery serpent filled the room with light as a limping April trudged towards Dean, the curse biting into the vine, burning it. Dean swore, trying to put the fire on his pants out. She groaned, rolling her eyes, as if Dean was a wuss just because he was panicking about the fire eating up his pants and burning him.

“Aguamenti,” she grumbled, water spraying out of her wand and quickly putting out the fire, “Merlin’s Beard, why didn’t you do that yourself?”

Dean glared at her.

“Don’t you think I would if I could?  _I don’t have my wand_. Whoever put me here took my wand,” said Dean.

Dean glanced over to the fire. The serpent was slowly fading out of view as the vines turned to ash. April swore.

“Seriously? You’re just going to be dead weight, aren’t you?”

Dean just stared at her.

“Why’d you save me, then?” asked Dean.

For a moment, April couldn’t look Dean in the eyes.

“Cas wouldn’t trust me if he knew I let you die,” grumbled April, “Now, do you want me help you out or should I just leave you here to die?”

Dean couldn’t say no to that. They began to walk down the dark path in silence. It created this tension, and awkwardness wasn’t Dean’s strong suit when it came to situations.

“Can you at least tell me what’s going on?” croaked Dean, feeling out of place.

He could just feel her roll her eyes.

“Fine -  _fine_ \- I’ll give you the gist. We are in a labyrinth on Hogwarts grounds. The mission is to find the port key in the labyrinth first and not get killed.”

“Did they even tell you what monsters you’d face?” asked Dean.

“No. So, if you slow me down, I swear, I will leave you behind and say I tried my best,” snapped April.

Dean grimaced.

“I’m not only good with magic. I can be pretty resourceful without,” said Dean, though, with his still blurry vision and massive headache, he honestly wasn’t sure how good he would be.

He knew she could just sense that he wouldn’t be any good in a fight either.

“I’ll believe you when I see it,” grumbled April, as they trekked deeper and deeper into the maze.

Maybe it was the abundance of horrifying, constructer-esque vines that liked being handsy with the people walking through the corridors. Maybe it was the horrifying screeching noise that April had told Dean that he “didn’t want to know what it was” (Must have freaked April out a lot, there was a deadness in her eyes when she talked about the creature that must not be named). Heck, it might have been the swarms of bizarre flesh eating bugs that came like floods every once and a while that April had to fend off with fire. Dean just knew that he hated this frigging maze and if he ever got out of it alive, he was going to slap the person who thought this was such a “great idea” silly.

“The Tournament Planners,” April kept reminding Dean, “They’re called the Tournament Planners.”

“Why’d you join this death trap of a tournament, anyways?” asked Dean.

She glanced around the corner, and kept moving.

“Well, because of honor,” grumbled April, “All my brothers competed in the tournament before me. Half of them won. There’s also the prize at the end, and if I win that, well…I can say sayonara to all those crap brothers of mine and hello to support money until I can join the Holyhead Harpies.”

“Doesn’t seem worth it to me,” grumbled Dean, “None of this unnecessary danger seems worth anything.”

She gave him a pissed off look.

“You don’t know my family,” hissed April, “All of this is worth it.”

Dean thought back to his own family. Even with all his crap, he wouldn’t do this. He wondered if April didn’t really have a Sam in her life, or a Benny or Charlie or Bobby. He wondered if she was basically alone with her crap.

They found themselves in a pitch black room. April swore.

“Luminos isn’t working,” she spat.

The red lights began to flash again, and the room was like some acid trip gone awry. There were symbols, ancient symbols everywhere. The spiraled from the ceiling to the floor, leading to the goblet that once held fire. Now, there was some radiating red goo inside it that felt ominous and revolting.

As soon as Dean saw it all, he wanted to flee. Something was terribly wrong about all of it.

April began to run towards the goblet, but Dean grabbed her wrist.

“Wait! Something’s seriously wrong here!”

She pulled away and glared at Dean.

“What do you know about wrong, Dean Winchester!” retorted the hardheaded woman as she ran into the room.

Dean stood outside, the red lights still flashing as April ran to the goblet. She put her hand on it…and nothing. She tried moving it. It wouldn’t budge. she swore.

“I don’t understand! Why isn’t it working?”

Someone grabbed Dean by the neck and pushed him into the room, onto the ground.

“Because you’re not the one who’s supposed to win.”

April looked furious.

“So it _was_ as I thought.  _The tournament was rigged this year, wasn’t it_?” hissed April.

The woman merely smirked.

“Unfortunately, you are right.”

The woman was Naomi Shurley, the Astronomy Professor. Dean didn’t know her well, but he heard the rumors about her. None of them were good. All of them were strange.

“Avada Kedavra,” Naomi shouted, the green light hitting April in an instant.

Dean was stunned. He tried to scramble up and away, but she pushed him back down to the ground with her heel. 

“Oh, you’re not going anywhere.”

Dean glanced up at the terrifying woman. How could Hogwarts allow someone who would do  _that_ to be a Professor. Then again, it wasn’t like Hogwarts didn’t have a bad track record for these sort of things to begin with.

“You are going to stay right here. And die. Slowly.”

Before Dean could do anything, he felt a pain like no other he’d ever felt. He is body constricted, contorted, moved and shifted in unnatural ways. All Dean could think of was pain.

She must have enacted the cruciatus curse.

“You were supposed to die in there,” said Naomi, “I don’t know how you’ve become so lucky. Looks like I need to create the incentive myself. I hate lucky ones, you know? So hard to  _kill_.”

For a moment, the pain stopped.

“Oh, there you are,” she said, “Took you long enough.”

Dean turned to see Cas.

For a moment, there was relief. He could feel it in himself, he could see it in Cas’ eyes, they were both relieved to see one another…until they both seemed to remember what situation they where stuck in. Dean tensed. The color drained from Cas’ face.

“Honestly, I think you came off the line with a crack in your chassis. You’ve always been a weird one, but really? This punk? You may have always been weird, but at least you  _listened_.”

Anger was bubbling up to the surface in Cas.

“Let Dean go, this has nothing to do with him,” Cas said through gritted teeth.

Naomi laughed.

“You made him part of this the second you decided to speak to him, you fool.”

Dean felt something push through him, this horrible pain in his chest. He was pretty sure it was something pole-like. Merlin’s Beard, Dean remembered her  _carrying a cane earlier_.

“Dean!” shouted Cas.

It sounded broken, cracking. It made Dean terrified as he began to shake and cough up blood. Naomi slowly took whatever was in Dean _out_ , the bleeding becoming severe. Naomi kept her wand on Cas.

“Now, I feel like the choice is quite simple. Become what you were born to become, and you’ll have the power to save him,” she said.

Cas looked empty. He froze for a moment, just staring at Dean.

“D-don’t,” said Dean between coughs of blood, “Whatever it is, C-Cas. It’s…It’s not w-worth it,  _don’t_.”

Cas smiled sadly for a moment.

“Anything is worth you, Dean Winchester,” whispered Cas, “ _You_ are worth it.”

Dean shook his head as Cas began his walk to the goblet.

“D-Don’t. Don’t, Cas!”

But Cas wasn’t listening. Naomi smiled as she watched him go.

“That’s the soldier I built up,” said Naomi, “It doesn’t matter how many Deans and Megs come, you will always do what I want you to at the end of the day.”

Cas glanced down at April. Her corpse was right next to the goblet.

“I’m so sorry, April,” whispered Cas, closer her eyes before he took the goblet, “I wish I could have saved you.”

“P-please, Cas. don’t do this. I…I’m not worth it.”

“Oh look, Castiel, your friend is crying. better do as you’re told soon, he doesn’t look so good. He looks like he’s slipping. He could die at any moment, and then how would you save him?”

Dean hated to admit it, but he was pretty sure she was right. Everything looked fuzzy, the world had become more and more cold, and Dean was sure he lost more than a pint of blood.

Dean could barely see, but…he could see Cas drinking something…and starting to  _glow_. The whole room started to glow.

In an instant, Dean felt the weight of Naomi’s heel off of him. He could hear her scream, her hitting the wall, and…Dean was sure that was the sound of her neck snapping. All Dean could do was weakly move his hands towards the gaping hole that was now in his chest and wonder if he could stop the bleeding. It barely registered to him that his lax finger began resting  _inside the hole_ even though he tried to get them to move.

He felt something move swiftly towards him and he could swear that he saw an angel. He felt something move his hands. It was a gentleness Dean craved for more than anything and he desperately held onto the hand. But it moved away from him mechanically. A hand pressed on his chest and a burst of light came into view. Everything…became clear, and there was Cas. Except…it didn't  _feel like Cas_. There was this darkness that wasn’t there before, something that made those beautiful blue eyes of his murky.

“Finished with the task asked. Goodbye, stranger.”

Something was so wrong. It sounded like a chorus of people were talking, not Cas.

“Wait,” said Dean, looking down, astounded by the fact that the hole in him was no more, standing up and grabbing Cas’ hand, “W-Wait, what’s going on? Where’s Cas?”

The thing that looked so much like Cas turned to Dean.

“Cas is…hmm…He’s gone.”

Something was breaking inside of Dean.

“He’s dead.”

It wasn’t right. Dean couldn’t believe what was going on.

“We run the show now.”

Dean swallowed hard.

“Then why? Why save me?” asked Dean.

The creature laughed.

“He let us in only if you and your brother are always safe and untouched by us. Unfortunately, we are obligated to keep that promise within six months of taking our new vessel, but well, once we clean and scrub every inch of Castiel Novak out of here, we’ll sure to make a personal visit to your home. Now, be a dear and tell the world that their god is here.”

Before Dean could say another word, the creature threw the goblet at Dean, transporting him to the middle of the quidditch field. The stadium that was filled with cheers only seconds before had grown silent. Dean didn’t blame them. He looked like death AND he wasn’t part of the tournament.

Dean gulped as he saw part of the castle collapse in the distance, saw the whole audience gawk at the sight, stunned.

“I don’t know about you, but I think now’s the time to get out of here and get to safety!” shouted Dean.

Well, just before a hoard of frightened students trampled over him.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	20. The Unexpected Victor

SPN at Hogwarts: The Unexpected Victor

For probably ten minutes, everyone was silent in the stands. Everyone was just looking at Dean. Dean couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. All he could see was that look in Cas’ eyes before he threw the Triwizard cup at him. But…It wasn’t Cas. Dean had to remember it wasn’t Cas.

“I TOLD YOU HE WAS GOING TO WIN! I SO CALLED THIS! CASH IN PEOPLE, I’M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!”

Dean almost dropped the cup on his foot, he was so surprised. He glanced up to see freaking Aaron Bass collecting money from his friends. Dean wasn’t sure what to make of that, but he was pretty sure Aaron was winking at him as if they had planned this all along.

As soon as Aaron made his outburst, the crowd began to speak to one another, panicked about the state of the castle. Dean could see Professor Josie Sands walking over to him, look of worriment on her.

“Dean - Dean, where have you been?  _How did you get the Triwizard Cup_?”

For a moment, the words didn’t register. He just stood there stupidly, staring open mouthed at the Head of Hufflepuff.

“Dean?”

Her voice was becoming more worried by the second.

Dean slowly glanced down at the Triwizard Cup, then quickly threw it away from himself, as far away as he could. All he could think about was how April had  _died_ holding it in his hands and the last thing that  _creature_ that looked so much like Cas did was throw it at him.

“A-April…She…and  _Cas_ …Merlin’s beard, they’re all - I -”

Dean stepped away from the woman who was just trying to help, stepped away from the audience that gazed down at him with some new form of contempt, stepped away from all the world because  _Cas was dead_ and how could he just be  _dead_?

“I just - I just need to -”

Dean could feel the tears. He didn’t know when they started, and Dean could hardly bother about the growing embarrassment he should have been feeling because of them.

“Dean, what about you come over hear and -”

Dean shook his head, turning away from all of them.

“I just - I just need to - Cas needs me and he  _must be_ \- but…no, he’s…”

“Dean, you’re making no sense,” said Professor Sands, growing more panicked by how Dean was acting.

Dean couldn’t hear anything. He just began running. He didn’t care where, he just…he just kept running. That is, until someone tackled him to the ground.

“GET OFF! GET OFF, GET OFF, GET OFF, I NEED TO SAVE HIM - I - I NEED TO STOP IT FROM USING HIM LIKE SOME MEATSUIT, I JUST -”

“If you don’t shut up, Dean Winchester, I swear to Merlin, I _will_ get my boyfriend to punch you in the face.”

Dean glanced up to see none other than Donna Hanscum. Dean groaned.

“Is that moose of a boyfriend of yours the one who’s crushing me?” wheezed Dean, trying to crawl away from the heavy weight on him.

“If you promise not to run off, I’ll call him off,” said Donna.

Something about a crushing, barely breathing weight on you can make a person think more clearly.

“Okay, fine, get him off, get him off _please_ ,” Dean barely got out.

Donna glanced at Dean, then nodded. Sure enough, the weight on Dean was lifted. That moose of a boyfriend Donna had grabbed Dean by the shoulders, and before Dean knew it, he was on his feet, his knees wobbling.

“Good news is that you’ve technically won the Triwizard Tournament,” squeaked her boyfriend.

Donna glared at him.

“Not now, Wesson. First, we gotta make sure Dean’s okay. Then we mooch off of him,” said Donna.

Sam Wesson made an agreeable face before Donna turned her attention back to the barely keeping it together Winchester.

“Dean…we need to get you back to the stadium, or at least to the teachers. You need medical attention. You need help.”

Dean winced as he glanced down. There was a huge gash on his arm that he didn’t remember getting. He was pretty sure the wrist on the other arm was swelling up in a very unnatural way. he tried to take a step, but he felt a pain in his leg, a new pain he probably didn’t feel before because of all the adrenaline and survival instinct.

“But…But  _Cas_  -”

Donna put her arm around Dean’s waist as she began to help him walk.

“We’ll worry about Cas when you’re okay. Come on, let’s see if Nurse Mosely can fix you up,” said Donna.

Dean sat in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling. He had been explaining what had happened all afternoon and into the night. It was long, stressful, and deeply traumatizing to repeat everything while the wound was so fresh. If Dean turned his head to the window, he was sure he would see the light of a telltale sunrise coming soon.

Not like Dean wasn’t used to nights without sleep. He just wasn’t used to nights without sleep because he was thinking about a sort-of-ex-boyfriend-turned-evil-monster-thing that became that way because he couldn’t deal with the idea of Dean dying, which Dean wasn’t sure whether he should be happy about or slapping Cas for being so stupid…then Dean remembered Cas was dead.

Dean glanced to see Sammy walking over to him. Dean grimaced.

“Sammy, you shouldn’t be here, it’s way too early to be up,” whispered Dean.

Sam tiptoed over with something in his hand…the _Daily Prophet_.

“I know you disapprove of early mornings, but Dean, I couldn’t sleep after I saw you there with the Triwizard cup and - and look at what the _Prophet_ says.”

Sam handed the _Daily Prophet_  to Dean, cringing.

“I wasn’t sure about showing you this, but I felt like you should see it before you see people,” mumbled Sam.

That didn’t give Dean any sign that this new day was going to be any better than the last day. The one where Dean woke up in the dark in a place he didn’t know and almost died, but because of this turned his boyfriend into some monster creature thing.

_THE UNEXPECTED VICTOR: WHO IS DEAN WINCHESTER?_

Dean blinked for a moment.

_BY RITA SKEETER_

Dean grimaced.

“Wasn’t she the lady who kept saying she knew who Harry Potter was when he was going through this whole Triwizard thing?” asked Dean.

Sam shrugged.

“I don’t know, I barely remember who Harry Potter is half the time.”

“Seriously, you need to take History of Magic more seriously, he ganked a pretty powerful man.”

“You’re the only one who cares about History of Magic, Dean,” grumbled Sammy.

Dean began reading the article.

 _When we last checked on the Triwizard Tournament, an international event that was created to show trust between the countries of the magical world, there were two champions left. April Kelly, the orphan girl from the shady and infamous Julian Richmond’s Orphanage, and Castiel Novak, bastard child of well known author and Head Master of Hogwarts Chuck Shirley. While very little is known about the bastard child, Castiel had proved himself to be a forerunner in the race for the Triwizard Cup. However, who was it that came out with the Cup? Not the popular choice Castiel. Not even the underdog April Kelly. Don’t even think about saying Dorothy Baum came to take it as a ghost. Nope. It was none other than supposed Novak Boyfriend, Dean Winchester_.

Dean felt bile rising from his stomach.

“Has she been the one who was writing for the Tournament this whole time?” asked Dean.

Sam shifted in his seat.

“Nobody seemed to really care what she was saying, but after yesterday, I thought you should see this,” mumbled Sam.

Dean turned back to the article.

_I smell foul play here. From what I’ve heard, it seems as though Dean Winchester has been attracting attention since he first got Hogwarts. While very little is known about Dean before his time at Hogwarts (his past is about as vague and suspicious as that boyfriend of his), Dean has been as sketchy as sketchy can get._

Dean put the article aside. He didn’t want to read anymore. It was ridiculous. How did she even know all of this? Dean hated to admit how much truth was actually in there. He didn’t want to deal with it.

“Do you really think they’re going to listen to this crap?” asked Dean.

Sam shrugged.

“They might after what happened yesterday. Also…uh…”

Sam looked away awkwardly.

“What?” asked Dean.

“You technically won the Triwizard Tournament…so you’re supposed to collect your 1000 galleons today.”

Dean’s eye’s widen.

“Merlin’s beard, do they seriously want to give me 1000 galleons? All I did was catch a trophy and not  _die_ ,” said Dean emptily.

“Just…just get it. You’re supposed to,” said Sam.

Dean stared at the pile of 1000 galleons and couldn’t help thinking he should be doing something about that thing that looks like Cas rather than collecting 1000 galleons he didn’t deserve.

“I don’t want this,” said Dean.

Head Master Chuck Shirley pushed the pile into a bag and handed it to Dean.

“Yes, you do,” said the Professor.

Dean glared at him.

“You’re telling me that I let Cas take in some evil creatures or  _something_ into himself in order to save me as well as let April die right before my eyes and  _I deserve to take 1000 galleons_? Merlin’s Beard, wasn’t Naomi Novak your  _sister-in-law_?”

Professor Shirley took the bag and pushed it into Dean’s hands.

“Go before I give you detention,” said Professor Shirley through gritted teeth.

When Dean left, was glad to leave. He didn’t want to be near a man who was so unfazed by the disappearance of his own son and the death of someone who could have been close to him.

Dean found Benny waiting for him outside of the office.

“Hey, brother,” said Benny, walking over to Dean.

“Hey,” grumbled Dean, just staring at the pile of money.

“You could buy a whole quidditch team with that amount of money,” said Benny, whistling.

“I don’t want a quidditch team,” grumbled Dean.

Benny put his arm around Dean’s shoulders.

“I know, I know.”

“Do you want the money?” asked Dean.

Benny faltered, blinking.

“I know you’ve been thinking about opening up your own restaurant, and well, you’re an awesome cook. Think of this as an investment,” said Dean.

“Dean, what about you think about that for a bit before you come up with your own conclusions of what you want to do with that money,” said Benny. 

“I don’t have anything I want to get with it.”

“Still.”

Dean sighed.

“I just…I just want him back. And not crazy.”

Dean had heard the news. It was spreading like wildfire. Someone who looked like Cas had walked into a secret NeoDeath Eater meeting and slaughtered the whole bunch of them. No one was complaining really, but the amount of power it would take to do that…it was terrifying. Then, there was news of someone who looked like Cas killing elected officials in the Ministry willy nilly as well as forcefully giving house elves socks. There were reports that this person who looked like Cas kept referring to himself as a “God”…Dean could only see darkness looming in that.

“If I spent it all on hookers and got every single person in Hogwarts their own personal stripper, do you think he’ll come and smite me?” asked Dean curiously.

“I’m not sure if you want to make those kind of jokes at the moment,” said Benny.

Benny stopped at a door.

“I have to get to my own class. I’ll see you later, okay?” said Benny.

That was when Dean realized he still had school.

Dean couldn’t pay attention. To anything. He felt so out of place, especially with all the stares. He didn’t belong. That’s all he felt. He needed to hunt. He needed to hunt and hunt the thing that looked so much like Cas and hurt him so much for it.

Dean stood up.

“Mr. Winchester? Do you have anything to tell the class?”

Dean barely registered Professor Snyder’s question.

“I need to go,” said Dean.

His feet just started to move and he was sure the professor was saying something to him, but he couldn’t hear anything. He made a beeline to the Hufflepuff dormitory and headed straight to his bunk, beginning to pack his possessions.

“What the hell are you doing, Dean?”

Dean didn’t even know Donna had followed him into the boy’s dormitory until then.

“I need to go,” said Dean as emotionless as he said it in the classroom.

“Go where? What are you doing?” she asked, clearly concerned. 

Before she could ask another question, Dean flipped out his wand and whispered, “Petrificus Totalus.”

He could see the anger in her eyes as he left her there, frozen.

Dean had made it to the edge of the forbidden forest before what he needed came.

“You sent an owl?”

Dean nodded.

There was the man who left his father all those years ago. There was Henry Winchester. There was perhaps answers, a way to save Cas. There was the way to destroy the thing parading around as Cas.

“I want to help you,” Dean said without hesitation.

Henry nodded.

“You’re making the right choice, Dean. Now, come. Let’s get to the Cabin,” said Henry, leading Dean into the Forbidden Forest.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_ **


	21. Consequences

SPN at Hogwarts: Consequences

[ ](https://31.media.tumblr.com/9c66ea1314b7517ed47d8a748d5ab201/tumblr_mnc9fwGBpq1qitsi0o3_250.gif)

“I’m glad you came, Dean.”

Henry glanced around the forest casually, walking Dean to what felt like his doom.

“Really, I do. I am truly saddened by the unfortunate events that took place, but at least we can-”

“ _Don’t_ ,” Dean said, “Don’t say it.”

There was something broken in Dean. He knew what Henry was going to say…but he couldn’t let him say it. No. No, that would make all of it real. That would make what he had to do  _real_ and Dean couldn’t deal with that. Not when every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Cas. All he could hear were those words Cas spoke, the words Dean never deserved.

 _Anything is worth you, Dean Winchester. You are worth_ _it._

Dean just couldn’t shake it. But none of this was showing. His face was slack. He couldn’t feel tears coming at all. All he felt was… _empty_. This emptiness that engulfed the world, that ate at every emotion until there was only nothingness left, that made simply walking feel like trudging through thick and unnerving mud. Though the forest around him was vibrant and awe-inspiring, all the vivid color just felt…black and white to Dean. Dull grays that take him deeper into that emptiness he felt.

Dean felt a hand on him. He immediately push it off, becoming tense.

“I’m…I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to disturb you, but you haven’t been following me. I had to find you after you wandered of. You don’t have to talk to me, just…follow me to the cabin, okay? This forest is dangerous. You don’t want to be lost in it,” said Henry, obviously having trouble with how to deal with this situation.

For a moment, Dean stared at Henry, as if nothing he said made sense. However, Dean slowly nodded, and Henry took that as a sign to start moving once more. Dean followed suit.

The winding path seemed to meld into an array of blurring unimportance, but Dean didn’t quite care. He wasn’t taking a walk through the woods for the double rainbows and unicorns the Forbidden Forest was so famous for, he was here…for something different. So very different.

“We’re almost there,” said Henry after a long period of silence.

Dean didn’t say anything back. He merely nodded. Dean could see the forest dissipating into waves of grass as they found the field where the cabin lost in time and space existed, the cabin of a man who shouldn’t even be alive. Dean stepped into this field and wondered what will become of him if he took this path. Then he stopped. How could Dean think of himself in such a situation, how selfish could he be? He couldn’t think about himself, not at a time like this. Not when an ex-possibly-dead-boyfriend-turned-thing was on a crazy rampage that could go from Neo-Death Eater cleansing to flagrant mass murder at any moment. Dean didn’t have the luxury to think for himself. He never had the luxury, but then more than ever before.

“So, what are you all going to do to me?” asked Dean, glancing at Henry.

Henry blinked.

“What?”

“What’s going to happen to me?” asked Dean, “I know there’s probably some trial or tribulation or potion or something you want me to do or take or something.”

“Uh…I’m…I’m not sure, actually,” said Henry.

Dean stopped.

“What?”

Henry shifted uncomfortably.

“I only know what I need to know. We are all but moving parts in this collective of minds, cogs that shift together to create a bigger-”

“Merlin’s beard, don’t give me that flowery crap, you didn’t tell me you didn’t know the whole picture,” said Dean, anger growing in him.

“I never promised you I knew it all. I know the mark has something to do with it. I don’t know what else will come into play. Cain has more answers than me,” said Henry.

Dean strode past Henry.

“Then he better explain everything before I do something. I…I don’t want to make judgements solely based on how I feel…That’s what Cas did, and look where it got him,” said Dean, a crack in his voice revealing honesty that shouldn’t have been there.

Dean found Cain inside, drinking. It looked like he’d been just waiting for Dean there all day, as if he already knew how Dean would react.

“It’s nice to see you, Dean,” said Cain.

“Don’t give me that, I can tell, I knew you knew I was coming. You knew what I’d do after…after what happened to Cas.”

Cain took another swig.

“What happened to Castiel was unfortunate, but it’s not as if I didn’t warn you about this beforehand. And now, well, it will be exponentially harder to kill the beast.”

“Don’t call Cas some beast! He’s…He’s…”

Dean couldn’t stop the tears, all the emotion coming.

“He's  _dead_. That’s not Cas, that’s a  _god_. That’s some horrible beast draped in Cas like some  _meatsuit_. The Cas I know wouldn’t…It’s not him, okay?”

Dean had to give himself a few deep breaths as Cain eyed him.

“You and I are very much alike,” said Cain.

“Why do you keep saying stuff like that to me? I never want to be like you, I'm  _not_ like you,” said Dean, backing away.

Cain stood up.

“You still fight this. There isn’t anything else you can do. You realize that, don’t you, Dean?” asked Cain.

Dean couldn’t look Cain in the eyes. He knew Cain was right. Cain began to walk. He moved past Dean, out of the kitchen.

“Are you coming or not, Dean?” called Cain.

Dean flinched as he began to catch up with Cain. Cain was compiling a pile of newspaper clippings, all from places around the world. He handed them to Dean.

“Look at them.”

Dean leafed through the clippings, though, many of them weren’t even in english. They were all about  _that thing_ though. Sightings, fires, mass murders, mass healings, a lot of  _very strange occurrences_. The beginning instances seem to have some morality in a twisted way, but as the articles go on, Dean can see how they slowly become darker, more abhorrent tasks.

“That’s what that thing in your friend’s body is doing,” said Cain, “It did that in Colette’s body, now it is doing it with your friend. I want you to remember this. Know that all that you have to do…will be for stopping an even greater tragedy from occurring.”

Dean slowly nodded.

“I want you to remember all of this because what I’ll be giving you…comes with a price. A great price that could ruin you.”

“And why can’t you do it?”

Dean asked this weakly, cowardly.

“Why must I kill the thing that looks exactly like my boyfriend?”

Cain’s look was strange. One of remorse, one of sympathy, and yet…one of indifference.

“A problem with this particular curse is that you can only kill one god. Once you gain this, you will be able to do what I now cannot.”

“And what will happen to you? If I take this from you, will you be okay?” asked Dean.

Cain sighed.

“I’m not sure. But that’s not important,” said Cain.

Dean stared at Cain.

“I don’t want you dead,” said Dean, “I just met you. I want to know you. Somewhere down the line, we are family, and family’s important.”

Cain smiled weakly.

“It’s a nice thought, but we don’t have time for such things.”

Tears came again for Dean, but they weren’t for Cas.

“I should have at least tried to get to know you,” said Dean.

Cain stayed with his pokerface.

“Are you ready for what’s to come, Dean?”

Before Dean could speak, there was a crash from outside.

“Henry!” called Cain, “Henry, are you okay?”

There were more crashes. Dean froze when he saw the silhouette. Fear crawled into him, spread like poison. Dean’s legs were shaking.

“What did you see, Dean?” Cain asked, some panic now inching its way into Cain’s voice.

Dean heard a shot. Dean turned his head in shock to see blood coming from Cain. Cain fell to the ground, holding his side, trying to stop the bleeding.

“Magic bullets. Nice what you can find around when you look in the right places. This type in particular pins down people with powerful curses.”

Dean stared in horror at what the man did.

“Dad…Do you even know  _who you just shot_?” blurted Dean, his body not responding as he wanted it to.

He wanted to go. He wanted to help Cain. But there was something about John Winchester that always made Dean freeze in sheer terror.

“I know enough, Dean,” said John, waving his wand with a silent spell, flinging Dean to the wall and keeping him there, “I know what you’ve done. I know enough that no one  _like you_ will be able to fix this mess. You’ve already done enough.”

There was something colder than usual in his tone.

“D-Dad, wait-”

Dean could feel the invisible grip on him tighten, his ribs breaking under the pressure. he could feel the blood rising as he coughed.

“ _I know what you’ve been doing,_ Dean. I know what you’ve become. I don’t trust you in doing anything about the issue. That… _thing_ needs to die, and I don’t think you can do what’s needed to be done,” said John.

[ ](https://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz98o59xzh1qgm5xto2_500.gif)

“Daddy, please.”

Dean could barely breathe. He wasn’t even sure if John would ever listen to him again, not if…not if he knew  _everything_.

“Stop it…Don’t kill your own son.”

Dean could only stare as he saw the bloodied Cain stand up. He seemed so weak.

“Give me the Mark, not him.”

“NO!” blurted Dean, “D-Don’t!”

 Cain glanced from Dean to John.

“There is a price to what you want, John.”

Dean could feel the grip on him tighten.

“Are you going to give it to me or not?” asked John.

Cain extended the arm with the mark. John grabbed it. Dean could see some sort of light between the arms and Dean just _knew_ what was happening.

Dean fell from the wall, his legs too weak to keep him standing. Dean sat there, staring at a man who could break him turned even more powerful.

“No,” Dean whispered.

Dean couldn’t do anything. He just watched his father walk out of the door without so much as a word to him. Dean stared at the door. He wondered what happened to Henry.

Dean only snapped out of it when he heard Cain coughing up blood.

“C-Cain!” blurted Dean, half-crying as he scrambled over to the man, unsure of what to do.

“Doesn’t…Doesn’t look like it’s going to heal,” said Cain, wincing.

“So, without the curse, you’ll…”

Dean couldn’t say it.

“I’m sorry,” said Dean, shaking as he held the older man, “I’m sorry my dad did this to you.”

“I-It’s fine, Dean,” said Cain through wheezes, “He’s…he’s not going to last long, anyways.”

Dean furrowed his brow.

“How do you know that?” asked Dean.

“The Mark of Cain…I-it needs a certain type of person…”

Cain slowly moves his hand to Dean’s chest, as if to feel the beating.

“…Someone…who cares little of himself…someone…with too much heart…a righteous man…”

Dean swallowed hard.

“What happens to someone who…isn’t like us?”

Cain laughed wryly.

“They corrupt quicker…and burn out fast…Be careful…John will not be the same man…he will be much worse…”

That was hard for Dean to imagine. Something worse than John Winchester. Dean stood up.

“Don’t…Don’t die on me, I need to check on Henry.”

Cain grumbled something, and though Dean wanted to stay and make sure it was an actual acknowledgment of what Dean had said, he was worried about Henry.

“Henry!” Dean called out, walking towards the front door, “Henry, are you-”

Dean stopped. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t understand how his father could…could  _do this_. Dean was failing at holding his tears back as he walked back into the living room.

“Cain…C-Cain, Henry’s dead, and…Cain?”

Cain wasn’t moving. Dean realized he was all alone in an infamously dangerous forest in a secret cabin and he had no clue how to get back to civilization. His father just left with something that must be as destructive as what his probably dead boyfriend was on and the only people who had a clue as to what was going on were dead. Dean felt the world spinning as his vision blurred. He couldn’t believe he was  _fainting_.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	22. The Weapon

SPN at Hogwarts: the Weapon

Dean had always been good at cleaning. He had to be, he was the one who cleaned up after Sam when he was younger, cleaned up after John when he was too drunk to do anything. Dean used to force himself to do it, wished that someday he didn’t have to clean everything up, but now, it just felt soothing. Some second nature, calming activity that allowed him to shut his brain off and just  _work_. Make things better, make things good, make things perfect. Something he could never do with his life.

Dean was used to cleaning up blood, and this was no different. All he needed to do was to distance himself from the truth, force himself for a moment to forget that the blood was Henry’s blood, was Cain’s blood, was his own blood. He just had to make it go away.

He had already buried the bodies. It took all night, and he was pretty sure that it was suicidal at best to be out in the Forbidden Forest at night, but nothing seemed to want to bother him, not while he was digging graves. Not a soul came to him that night besides the thestrals.

They had gathered around him, surrounded the shallow holes he was digging. They didn’t try to attack him. They didn’t try to stop him. They did nothing. They just stood there or sat, keeping Dean company as he said goodbye to his ancestors.

Dean took a break for a moment and glanced outside the window. They were still there. The thestrals. Just a herd of them, grazing the meadow left behind by Cain, a few of them glancing curiously towards the window as if they could just  _sense_  Dean could see them. He’d never seen so many before.

Dean went back to scrubbing the floors. He’d been at it for hours, all day, really, and he wasn’t sure if he could actually get the blood stains out. He wondered if he should have taken care of the stains first, then the dead bodies. But then again, Dean just couldn’t deal with the bodies. They were too real and they weren’t strangers. Dean knew he probably should have dealt with the stains first, though.

He glanced down at his clothes. They were what he was wearing the day before, the night before. Blood mix with dirt covered them, made them unclean in a way that couldn’t be reversed.

Dean stood up and decided to change, throw away the clothes. He’d get to the stains afterwards.

The house creaked with every step Dean took and made Dean nervous. The lack of any other sound made Dean anxious, though, the buzz of the bees calmed him down quite a bit. He wondered what would be needed to keep the bees alive. Could he just set them free, allow them to do as they pleased? Or would they die without help? Dean didn’t know much about bees. He knew…he knew Cas knew a lot about bees and he wished he took the chance to ask Cas how to take care of bees. Maybe he would have been able to do something for the bees if he had asked Cas for that information.

Dean sighed as he threw away the ruined shirt and pants. Clothes could be expensive. He hoped he wouldn’t have to throw away anymore clothes because of incidents like this one.

He walked back to the stains and began to scrub once more, desperation creeping into him as he did. He didn’t understand why the stains wouldn’t just get out easily. 

For a moment, he thought about Sammy and Dean was  _terrified_ when Sammy came to mind. Dean wasn’t sure  _what_ the Mark of Cain did exactly, but he could tell from Cain that it wasn’t anything good. Would it make his father even more unstable? Would he go back to Hogwarts and kidnap Sam before he even finishes up his first year at school?

What if Cas was drawn there? Or…at least the thing that was Cas? Dean remembered the creature saying that it was supposed to protect him and Sam for at least the first six months or something. Would it stop John from taking Sam? Would it protect Sam? And…would Dean want that? Would Dean be okay with that thing being near Sam? He wasn’t sure what was worse: his father with the Mark of Cain near Sammy or that thing that was wearing Cas as a meatsuit near Sammy.

He hoped neither of them went near his brother. He was such a fool to think that he could do this, could do something about the thing that was in what was once his boyfriend. He needed to find his way back to the school somehow. He needed to  _do something_ , at least protect the people he loved. But…Dean didn’t feel like he _could_.

Dean heard noises. As if someone had opened the door.

He froze.

There were creaks, telltale signs of someone walking through the house. From what Dean could tell, it was one person.

“Hello?”

Dean knew that voice. He didn’t remember where he knew it from, but it was very familiar.

“Anybody here? Cain? I got the weapon. You ready for the trade?”

That was when it clicked in his mind. He knew who that was. But…why would he know Cain?

Dean stood up as he saw the man walk into the living room.

“Dean Winchester,” He said, “Not surprised you’re here. Where’s Cain? I need to talk to him. Wait…shouldn’t you have the Mark of Cain on you by now?”

All Dean could do was stare down at the stain of blood he couldn’t get out. He glanced down at the blood.

“Oh…looks like you have some explaining to do.”

Dean and Professor Fergus “Crowley” McLeod sat at Cain’s table in Cain’s kitchen, drinking tea Crowley had whipped up. Dean hadn’t touched the tea at all. He wasn’t sure he could trust Crowley. He wasn’t sure why this shady professor of his was even there. Something told him he should at least say how it went down to the man, though. Who knows? He hoped he could trust the Professor, though, he highly doubted that he could.

“So that’s what happened to the two?” asked Crowley, pouring himself another cup.

Dean slowly nodded, shock still effecting him.

“That’s definitely not how I saw that man going out. He was terrifying once upon a time, you know? The worst of the worst. Don’t know what got into him, but whatever did made him an avid beekeeper.”

“But…why are you here, exactly?” asked Dean reluctantly, “You said something about a weapon…a trade?”

“Oh. Yes,” said Crowley, glancing down to his bag, “The trade…I suppose I can keep my deal with him, as long as I get what I need from here. The thing was supposed to be for  _you_ , but it’s basically useless now in the state you are in.”

“What is it?” asked Dean.

Crowley stood up.

“Let’s see if Cain has what I want around here,” said Crowley as he walked to the living room and began to search for something.

Dean thought about the situation he was in. Crowley didn’t exactly seem like a good person. But Dean knew what Crowley had was a weapon, a weapon of some sort that Dean guessed only someone with the Mark of Cain must be able to use. Would it be wise to let Crowley keep that object? What if John came to Crowley, took him out and took the weapon, became even more powerful?

But what about the object Crowley was looking for? Dean wondered if it was even a good idea to allow Crowley to take _that_. Dean wasn’t sure what Crowley was looking for - it could be even more dangerous than whatever weapon Crowley had with him, it could be a weapon that he could use without the Mark of Cain. Could Dean take the risk, though? Could Dean take the risk of letting Crowley keep the weapon that only someone with the Mark of Cain could use?

“What are you looking for?” asked Dean, “Maybe I could help?”

Crowley glanced at Dean.

“You were always a bit of a goodie two shoes, weren’t you? Keeping your head down and doing work, helping your friends out when they needed help.”

There was a pause which made Dean wonder if what Crowley had said was supposed to be taken as a bad thing. Dean only acted like that at school so no one would take him away from school, away from Sam, away from Cas. It was a necessity.

“Come on, it should be around somewhere. It’s a stone-like thing, but it would be unstable to the touch. It should be bright, glowing a blinding, blue-tinged light. It glows dimmer around people more effected by the dark arts, and grows brighter near creatures it deems more 'pure’ or - Merlin’s Beard - 'righteous’. Trust me, it will grow near you if you’re near it.”

Dean wandered around the house, keeping an eye out for the strange object. He hadn’t had much of a look around, especially upstairs, and it was bizarre, really. The place was filled with archaic pieces lost to time, intricate details and old fashion furniture. There were a few different rooms upstairs, mostly bedrooms that seemed to be barely used. However, at the end of the hall was a room different from the others. A study lined wall to wall, ceiling to floor, with books. It was a sight Dean didn’t expect in the house.

He walked into the room and saw something faintly glow in the crevice of a slanted book. He walked towards the light as it grew brighter, and between the horizontal book and the bookshelf wall lay a chunk that seemed alien to everything Dean had ever seen. It was jagged like a precious stone first taken from the earth, yet its formed seemed to trick the eye, seemed to change in bizarre ways it shouldn’t have been able to. Reluctantly, Dean moved his hand towards the object and grabbed it.

Dean felt electricity move through his body as if someone had just given him a static shock. He felt a buzzing sensation from holding the object, its form feeling unlike anything Dean could clearly describe. He had to close his eyes, the object was blinding.

“Crowley!” called Dean, feeling his way to the door, “Professor Crowley, I think I’ve found the thing you were looking for!”

Dean heard sounds from downstairs.

“Told you it would glow bright in your presence,” said Crowley.

Dean could feel someone slowly taking the object from him.

“You can open your eyes, Dean.”

Slowly, Dean did. He found Crowley in front of him, holding a box. All Dean could do was stare at it.

“What in Merlin’s Beard was that?” asked Dean, stunned.

“Grace,” said Crowley.

“Why would you want that from Cain?” asked Dean.

He never thought of Cain as graceful.

“It wasn’t his in the first place. It was my own. And it’s not grace as in walking beautifully, it’s something far different. Once upon a time, I had taken something important away from Cain, and in return, he took this from me.”

Dean and Crowley walked downstairs to Crowley’s bag. He took out a jagged piece of jawbone.

“A truce is what Cain wanted,” said Crowley, “To give each other what we had stolen all those years ago.”

Crowley gave the bone to Dean. Dean wasn’t sure how good of a weapon a jawbone was.

“This is the weapon?” asked Dean, and he could tell Crowley knew he wasn’t convinced.

“In the hands of an average person, it does nothing, but with the Mark of Cain…well, the First Blade can destroy civilizations.”

Dean felt chills run up his spine as he wondered what John could do with such a blade.

“Can it be destroyed?” Dean said without thinking.

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” said Crowley, “You can’t kill a god without the Blade and the Mark together.”

“And what about that Grace of yours?” asked Dean, “What does it do?”

Crowley laughed.

“This isn’t for you,” said Crowley, “This is to make me whole one day. When I’m ready.”

Dean wasn’t sure if he understood what Crowley meant by that. Dean didn’t have much time to think on it, though, because Crowley was heading towards the door.

“Wait! Are you leaving me here?” blurted Dean.

He was all alone in the Forbidden Forest with no way to get out. Crowley rolled his eyes and groaned.

“Really? You don’t know how to get back?”

Dean hated that he had to deal with someone like this, but he was his only ticket back to Sam.

“I…I wasn’t paying attention. I’ve had a lot on my mind, okay?”

“Oh, with the whole winning the Triwizard Tournament even though you weren’t even a champion and the crazy rampaging boyfriend- oh, I’m sorry, creature using your dead boyfriend as a meat puppet.”

“That’s kind of a lot for a sixteen year old to deal with, I’m sorry,” spat Dean, his voice cracking. 

Crowley sighed.

“Fine. I’ll walk you back to the castle. Wouldn’t hurt to be the one who finds the missing Winchester, anyways, or at least, one of the missing Winchesters.”

Something in Dean’s heart sank.

“One of the missing Winchesters?”

“Oh right, you weren’t there when it happened,” said Crowley, “You see, some time between the Triwizard Tournament and you petrifying that friend yours, little Sam Winchester seemed to have vanished. Disappeared. There were sightings of a man of some sort taking him off. Nobody can quite give a description of the man, so we don’t know if it was a stranger or perhaps your father.”

Dean felt panic brewing within him. What if it _was_ John? What if, because Dean was so focused on his own problems, he let Sam slip through his fingers? He definitely allowed someone, either stranger or relative, take his brother without him knowing, and that was unlike Dean to say the least.

It scared Dean how much power Cas had over him. He let his brother get kidnapped all because he couldn’t let some monster use Cas’ body like that.

Dean couldn’t let himself think solely on that, not at the moment, not when he couldn’t do anything about it. He had to distract himself.

“You said the Grace would make you whole again,” said Dean, “What did you mean?”

“You’re pretty curious for a guy who’s gotten himself into a decent amount of trouble because of curiosity,” said Crowley.

“I didn’t get into trouble because of curiosity. I got into trouble because I decided to befriend someone who was part of some crazy cult that drugged me and almost killed me on several occasions. There’s a difference.”

Crowley grinned.

“There are things that you will probably never understand in this world, Dean Winchester,” said Crowley, “One will be the Novaks and Shurleys. Another will be Grace.”

Dean hadn’t noticed that they were out of the forest until they stopped.

“There are two ways we can do this. You’ll either walk with me to Professor Shurley’s office or I’ll be dragging you there. Which would be-”

Suddenly Crowley fell to the ground, knocked out cold.

“Dean-o! We gotta get you out of here, let’s go,” said Gabriel, stepping over Crowley and grabbing Dean’s wrist.

“What?”

“I’ll explain later, let’s just get out of here before they notice you came back,” said Gabriel quickly.

Before Dean could protest, the world became dark and as tiny as a pin, hard to breath in as Gabriel apparated them to…the WOL bunker. 

“What’s going on?” asked Dean, panic rising.

“It’s not safe at Hogwarts, Dean. There are eyes and ears everywhere. They’re out for blood. They’re out for your head. They’ll make it look like an accident, but trust me when I say you don’t want to be there at the moment.”

“Who? The Novak-Shurley Family?”

“Who else do you think would be, Elvis?”

“But why?”

“They blame you for the backfire on Project Godstiel. They think this is all your fault, including Naomi’s murder.”

“But I didn’t do that, that  _thing in Cas did that_.”

Gabriel shrugged.

“Doesn’t matter. Crazy believes what crazy wants to believe. Can’t have you dying, though.”

“But why?” asked Dean, moving away from Gabriel, “Why would you even care about me living? Aren’t you a Shurley?”

“Because you’re the only one who can save my bro from the crap he got himself into, and I can’t let you die just because people need a scapegoat for their own problems.”

Dean’s heart stopped.

“Wha-What do you mean?”

Tears were coming without Dean’s consent.

“I…I was there, there  _was no Cas left_. He's  _gone_. The only thing left is black in those eyes. There’s no reflection of the guy I knew in there, none of the blue that caught my eye when I met him all those months ago…Don’t. Don't  _tell me that when I know there is nothing left of him_.”

Dean was shaking in rage.

“If you knew everything behind the spell that took place, you’d know there’s a way to reverse it all,” said Gabriel.

“And what, you know more, huh? Were you part of it all? Did you do this, did you _help in putting Cas in that position_?” _  
_

Gabriel face grew indifferent.

“Didn’t we all?” asked Gabriel, “Couldn’t we all have done more?”

It hurt Dean because he knew Gabriel was right.

“Your brother’s here at the bunker, Dean, along with a lot of children that were put in harm’s way because of how my family is reacting to Godstiel. If I remember correctly, he was last in the kitchen making himself a peanut butter and banana sandwich.”

Gabriel left Dean there. Dean was unsure of what he should do. With no instructions, Dean decided to find his way to the kitchen, absently walking through the hallways until he found himself there, his brother, sitting there like Gabriel said he would be.

“Dean!”

Sam rushed to him and hugged him.

“Where have you been? They said you were here, but I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

Dean wasn’t sure what to say.

“I…I had some business…I’m sorry for worrying you, Sammy.”

Dean couldn’t tell his brother that his father took the Mark of Cain. He couldn’t tell his brother that he had to bury two family members on his own and clean up the mess because of John. He just couldn’t.

“I’m glad you’re here, Dean. This place seems safe…and there doesn’t seem to be many safe places these past couple of days,” said Sam.

Dean nodded. He was glad that Sam was at least safe here.

“Dean. Good to see you found your way here.”

Dean glanced over his shoulder to find Kali standing at the doorway.

“When you’re done talking with your brother, find me at my office. I have some things I would like to discuss with you,” said Kali.

Dean gripped Sam’s shoulder as Kali walked off.

“Maybe you should just go over to her office with her,” said Sam, walking back to his sandwich, “I’m fine.”

Dean knew he’d have to talk to her eventually. That didn’t mean he couldn’t take a small break from the world.

“Come on, Sam, she can wait,” said Dean, sitting down next to his brother, “I’d rather talk to my nerdy brother.”

Sam grinned and for a moment, Dean felt okay.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	23. The Disease

SPN at Hogwarts: The Disease

[ ](https://38.media.tumblr.com/c0563b91a4b406706ee2b385ece6dea4/tumblr_mm89j0sR8E1ro7knro1_250.gif)

Dean had been standing at the doorway of Kali’s office for about twenty minutes. Dean was…nervous. Usually, he wouldn’t be, but with all that has happened, Dean was pretty sure the only ones who may have a  _clue_ of what the hell to do in this situation may be the Order, and Kali, well…from Dean could tell, Kali  _was_ the head of the Order.

“I know you’re there, Dean. Please, come in,” Dean heard from inside.

Though Dean was sure she was trying to cover it, her voice was cold and unfeeling. However, Dean really didn’t have much of a choice. He swallowed his fear and walked in with subtly shaky legs. She glanced at him, drink in hand.

“Do you know how many people Castiel has murdered today?” asked Kali.

Dean’s mouth went dry. He wished he didn’t walk into the office in the first place.

“Seventy-six people. Forty-seven men, twenty-nine women - ten of them children.”

“It’s not Cas,” blurted Dean, “That's  _not_ my boyfriend. That  _thing_ is using his body, that's  _not Cas_.”

Kali raised an eyebrow.

“Boyfriend, huh? I sort of thought your relationship with him had that kind of vibe -”

“Uh, we weren’t, um, together, when I, uh, first, uh, talked to you and, uh…”

Kali rolled her eyes.

“Jump off the sinking ship of thinking too much, Dean, I don’t need to know about your teenage love drama. I’m telling you that Castiel, or rather Project Godstiel, is out of the hands of even the Novak-Shurley Family, he has  _killed_ many of them already.”

Dean tried to calm himself down.

“What do you think  _I_ can do, then? Aren’t you all high class wizards? Why do you need some heartbroken underaged idiot with a knack for getting himself into trouble?”

“Well, first off, you’re not an idiot,” said Professor Gabriel Shurley, walking into the room, “You’re top in your class. If anybody’s an idiot, it’s my brother, he was ranked second to last before he went all Godstiel on us. Honestly, he could have just done it so that he didn’t have to hear the wrath of our dad about grades.”

“Cas was not an idiot,” rebuffed Dean.

Gabriel rolled his eyes.

“Yes. Sorry. My bad. Castiel also walked on rainbows and made bees dance in circles of joy.”

Dean glared at Gabriel.

“Why are you here?” asked Dean icily.

“I told I knew about the spell. That’s why I’m here. Not here for the soap opera drama you’re going through, that’s for sure.”

That was when Dean remembered: Gabriel had said he knew something about the spell that was cast on Cas.

“So, how much have you translated then, Mr. Runes Expert?” asked Kali, crossing her arms.

“Enough to know that Dean Winchester here is an invaluable asset,” said Gabriel.

Kali gave him a serious look, one that made Gabriel flinch.

“Okay, about forty-fifty percent of the spell has been translated. It’s tough work, and as much as I have that kid Kevin helping, Merlin’s beard, he’s only a kid, not even Hogwarts age. How much did you expect we could translate on our own?” asked Gabriel.

“Well, you need to translate  _faster_ , especially with how things are ending up,  _he’s starting to attack people that your brother may not have necessarily seen as ‘bad’ now_.”

Dean remembered that Kali had said 'children’.

“But what do the victims have anything to do with Cas since he’s, you know,  _dead_?” asked Dean, pissed that he kept having to remind these people, remind  _himself_ that Cas was  _dead_.

“Not exactly, from what I translated so far,” explained Gabriel.

“And what would say that strange brother of yours is alive?” asked Kali curiously.

Gabriel pulled out his notes.

“Well, in the lure on the Leviathan, it is said that in order for the Leviathan to take a host, they must allow the host one wish. However, the Leviathan cannot completely take over the host unless the person who the host deems 'closest’ to him has been killed. From the spell I’ve been translating, it seems the Leviathan need the blood of the closest loved one in order to completely control the host body. However, the host may be able to hold onto some control of their body to allow this irreversible part of the spell to happen not right after the Leviathan are given passage into the body.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” said Dean, “All that means…is Cas is still in there with no way to get out and he can only stop whatever that  _thing_ is from killing me for a short period of time.”

It sounded so much worse when Dean said it out loud.

“I haven’t translated the whole text on the spell, but…I have high hopes, Dean. Don’t lose hope.”

Dean felt worse than he did when he thought Cas was dead.

“Hope is the worst thing to keep,” said Dean.

He’d lost hope for years on many things. For John to stop drinking. For Sam and himself to find a proper home. In himself. He didn’t need another thing to hope for than lose hope for. That pain would be too much, especially if its about Cas.

“May I go now?” asked Dean.

He didn’t even wait for them to answer. He left the room.

“Memory foam,” Dean told Sam excitedly after a two weeks in the bunker, “It remembers me.”

Sam rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, Dean. That’s so cool.”

Dean could sense the sarcasm, but he didn’t care. It had been about two weeks in the bunker and Dean had felt….oddly at home there. It worried Dean that nobody in the Order had asked anything from his brother or himself, and it made Dean wonder just _when_ they would, but for now, Dean was glad that he was able to rest. He got to clean. He got to cook. Things that seemed so menial in the past felt…relaxing now.

Suddenly, there was a loud boom.

“What was that?” asked Sam.

Dean stood up from his bed.

“I’m not sure,” said Dean, keeping his brother close as they walked out of his room, “Let’s check it out.”

They walked through the hall and turned right into the front room of the bunker. 

The room was chaos. Dozens upon dozens of confused students in Hogwarts robes crowding the area.

“Please calm down!” shouted a familiar voice, “If you all just calm down, I will usher you to your temporary living areas.”

Dean grabbed Sam’s hand and glanced around the room, scanning for faces he knew.

“Donna!” blurted Sam, then faltered.

Dean wasn’t sure why Sam would know Donna’s face, he’d only met her maybe twice, but Dean wasn’t thinking about that, he looked to where Sam was looking and spotted her with…Gavin and Aaron.

“Donna!” shouted Dean.

She glanced over and grabbed Gavin and Aaron’s hands, pushing through the crowd towards him.

“Dean!” she shouted, practically throwing herself at him as she surrounded him with a bear hug, “I didn’t think I’d see you again, everything’s gone crazy!”

“Wait, what’s been going on, what’s happening?” asked Dean, “Where’s Charlie and Benny and everyone? Have you seen them?”

She shook her head.

“A bunch of us got separated,” said Donna when she was done hugging Dean, “The school was okay for a while, but once Castiel showed up and killed half the staff, everyone went sort of crazy.”

“Yeah,” said Gavin, “Donna and I wound up in the Room of Requirements and we were able to get the room to make an exit away from the school. Before we left, Aaron showed up and we all sort of hightailed it out of there.”

“When we got out, Professor Shurley - the Runes one - found us running through the empty streets in Hogsmeade and, well, transported us here,” said Aaron, “How have you been, Mr. Champion? Just so you know, I made sure that friend of yours Benny got that money.”

Dean smiled for a moment, then looked around.

“Are you sure none of them are here?” asked Dean worriedly.

Donna frowned.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think they are,” said Donna.

“I’m glad that you’re okay, though, Donna,” Sam piped up, “And aren’t you standing too close to someone with a boyfriend?”

Sam seemed to be giving Gavin the stink eye and Dean wasn’t sure why. Donna giggled as Gavin stepped away from her.

“I didn’t think Dean talked about me that much to you,” said Donna, “Thank you.”

Dean was pretty sure he didn’t, but maybe he did? He wasn’t sure. He talked about a lot of friends to Sammy.

“Speaking of your boyfriend, do you know if Wesson’s fine?” asked Dean.

He was suspicious of the guy, yeah, but that didn’t mean Dean didn’t have a heart. He could be worried about a shady man if the shady man is one of his best friends’ boyfriend.

“I’m not sure, but…something tells me he is,” said Donna, “Sam’s always seemed to have a knack for getting through tough situations.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” said Sam.

“Did I ever mention how sweet your little brother is? Because he is,” said Donna, giving Sammy a little hug.

“He always has been, the little dork,” said Dean.

“Says top of Class Dean Winchester,” grumbled Sam.

Dean rolled his eyes. 

“Whatever,” said Dean, “You’re still the dork here, don’t think any different.”

“Are you done talking to your friends?” said Gabriel as walked through the crowd, “Because I need to show all of these people where they’re staying temporarily.”

“I guess we’ll see you later, then,” said Aaron.

Dean nodded.

“I guess so,” said Dean, waving to his friends as they walked off.

“You think they’ll be okay, Dean?” asked Sam.

Dean put his arm around Sam and walked him away from the crowded room.

“Sure,” said Dean, “They have to be.”

[ ](https://31.media.tumblr.com/a6ceb2e53b08673a64a4f3be5e54096f/tumblr_n9m8kggt8t1tb0orbo5_500.gif)

“Croatoan,” said Donna, reading out the headline from the  _Daily Prophet_ , “What do you suppose that means?”

Sam Wesson put his arm around her shoulder.

“I don’t know,” said Wesson, glancing over the newspaper, “Says there have been outbreaks of it recently. Looks like it’s a blood-borne virus?”

It had been a month since Sam Wesson began his weekly visits with Donna and Dean was already tired of him.

“Croatoan,” said Dean, feeling like he’d heard the word before, “What happens to people with it?”

“Looks a bit like super rabies or something. Or rabies on steroids. Whatever simile you like,” said Donna, shrugging.

“Did you say Croatoan?”

The three of them turned to see Gabriel Shurley stumbling into the room. Donna slowly nodded her head.

“Uh…Yeah,” said Donna quietly as she handed the paper to the professor, “Croatoan.”

Gabriel read the paper quickly then turned to Dean.

“May I speak to you alone for a moment?” asked Gabriel.

Dean hated to leave Donna alone with Wesson (Not that he liked hanging out with them like the biggest elephant in the room of a third wheel. More that he didn’t like how cuddly they got alone and something about Wesson was still very suspicious to Dean), but he knew by then that if Gabriel was asking to talk to him in private, it was probably something very important.

“Sure,” said Dean, slowly getting up and walking outside with Gabriel.

“I know you don’t have the Mark of Cain, but it doesn’t look like Cain does either.”

Dean avoided eye contact. He never actually talked about what happened to Cain and Henry…to anyone but Crowley.

“Who has the Mark, Dean?” asked Gabriel.

Dean closed his eyes, wishing what he was about to say wasn’t true.

“John Winchester,” said Dean.

“I’m guessing he’s not considered 'righteous’ then, huh?” asked Gabriel.

Dean opened his eyes, turning to Gabriel. He was combing his fingers through his hair.

“What does this have to do with anything?” asked Dean, confused.

“Because someone who has the Mark of Cain who isn’t considered 'righteous’ is poison, Dean. They corrupt things, corrupt themselves quicker than a righteous man would, corrupt people around them. You see this?”

Gabriel pointed at the word 'CROATOAN’ on the newspaper.

“That’s what happens when people come in contact with a man with the Mark of Cain who should not have the Mark of Cain in the first place.”

Dean could only stare at the picture under the word. There were people  _biting_ into other people. There was a child crying in the corner, it was all just chaos, pure chaos.

It scared Dean.

“Is there a way to stop this?” asked Dean.

Gabriel sighed, rubbing his face.

“People with the disease - there as good as dead, they've  _been_ dead since they contracted it. But if we are able to either kill your father or take the Mark from him…Good thing he doesn’t have the First Blade…does he?”

Dean shook his head.

“He doesn’t,” said Dean, “How do we take the Mark from him?”

“He would have to give it willingly,” said Gabriel, “And in the state he probably is, he wouldn’t.”

“So, does that mean…”

Gabriel nodded solemnly.

“I’ll do more research to see if there’s any other way,” said Gabriel leaving Dean in the hallway as he walked quickly to the library, deep in thought.

After half an hour or so, Dean walked back into the room Donna and Wesson were in in shock.

“Dean?…Dean, what’s wrong?”

Dean could barely hear what Donna was saying.

“I think I’m going to have to kill my dad.”

The words came out without any thought. Dean couldn’t see anyone’s reaction, all he could do was stare at the table. He was pretty sure they were saying things to him, probably asking for him to explain or  _something_ , but…he just couldn’t bring himself to look up.

[ ](https://38.media.tumblr.com/9500738de9042364b9469762e5a63a09/tumblr_n0p69cbIKz1qlu8two3_500.gif)

“I heard that all of Scotland’s under quarantine now,” said Sam, “Is that true?”

Dean was terrified. It had been a month since the first  _Daily Prophet_ about the disease, and it was already spreading so quickly. Did their father not notice how he was effecting the people around him? Spreading this horrible disease? Did he even care? What was worse was how what was known by all in the bunker as “Godstiel” was acting. Whole communities of people were bowing to the thing or dying at his hands, yet he was still avoiding anywhere Dean was.

“I…I think so,” said Dean, glancing at the newspaper again, “Yeah, looks like it.”

Sam sat down next to Dean and laid his head on the table.

“I heard that it’s even breaking out in muggle areas too,” said Sam, “Do you think my muggle friends would be okay?”

Dean petted Sam’s head, unsure of what to do with that information.

“I’m sure they will, Sam,” said Dean, “Don’t worry.”

“We haven’t seen Bobby, Auror Mills, Ellen, Benny, Garth, Charlie, Jo, or Dad in months. I don’t think I’ve seen any of my friends from school here either, and people have been smuggled here daily. I’m…I’m worried Dean,” said Sam.

Dean pulled him into a hug.

“It’s all going to be okay, Sam,” said Dean, trying to convince himself.

“I’m not sure if it will be,” said Sam, hugging Dean back tightly, “But thanks for saying that.”

Dean heard footsteps. He turned to the door as he saw Aaron there.

“Gabriel wants to speak with you,” said Aaron.

Dean stood up, nodding.

“Stay safe, okay, Sammy?”

Sam nodded as Dean left with Aaron.

“You seem a bit glum, Dean. You okay?” asked Aaron.

Dean sighed.

“The world is thrown into chaos because my boyfriend is getting used as a meatsuit to some ancient power called the Leviathan and my father stole a curse from someone else that doesn’t actually work with the type of person he is so now he’s going crazier than usual and is spreading rabies on steroids. I would say I have good reason to be a bit glum,” said Dean.

Aaron laughed, putting an arm around Dean’s waist.

“Hey, I’m the one who has enough money to go to Disney Land but can’t because  _somebody_ had to go and break the world. I don’t see why you’re moping,” said Aaron.

Dean laughed, but moved the arm away.

“Those problems do sound worse,” said Dean.

Aaron sighed.

“I’m…sorry. It’s just he’s…he’s still in there, and if there’s even the tiniest bit of hope that he can come back to me…”

Aaron nodded.

“No, I’m sorry, I was being inappropriate. I should wait until he regains control of his body, you realize I’m just way more awesome than him, and find me in the sunset at the end of the skipping trail,” said Aaron.

Dean laughed again.

“Maybe, but…for now, I sort of want to see whether or not I can  _save_ that trapped boyfriend of mine,” said Dean.

“Understandably,” said Aaron.

They stopped at the library.

“See you later, then,” said Dean.

“Yeah,” said Aaron, “I’ll be there in that sunset if you need me.”

Dean rolled his eyes, walking into the library.

“Uh, Gabriel,” said Dean, “You wanted to see me?”

“Dean-o! Good for you to come. Didn’t want to take time away from your brooding and self-hatred guilt sessions. I know those pity parties can’t happen without you.”

Dean glared at him.

“Do you have something to talk about or not?” asked Dean.

“I figured out how to destroy the Mark of Cain,” said Gabriel.

Dean was surprised.

“How?” asked Dean.

Gabriel handed Dean a book.

“Grace,” said Gabriel, “Or an angel. Whatever we can find first, though, odds are, we can find grace before we can find an angel.”

“Angel?” echoed Dean, “Angels aren’t real.”

“Oh, they used to be,” said Gabriel, “Not the holier-than-thou type, but they were humanoid magical creatures. Like sirens or vampires. They’re rare though because they were hunted for their grace, pretty much to extinction by the time Hogwarts was founded. However, if we’re lucky, we could find some grace. I’ll have to make some calls and do some more research, but…if we can find some grace or an angel, then we’ll be cooking with fire.”

“I know someone with grace,” blurted Dean.

Gabriel’s eyes widened.

“What? Who?” asked Gabriel.

“That potion’s professor, Crowley,” said Dean, “I traded something called grace for the First Blade. Cain was supposed to, but he…died before the trade happened, so I did it. I didn’t know what either items were, but I had a feeling that the First Blade had something to do with the Mark of Cain, so I thought I probably needed that more than the grace.”

“Merlin’s beard, I didn’t know that…I had my suspicions, but…”

“But what?” said Dean, “You can’t honestly make me believe that man’s some angel. He once sold my friend drugs. Scratch that, he gave them drugs for free and told them to go crazy.”

“Wait, he did that? Where was I? I would have so provided the pink furry handcuffs and given the 'I know the sexy times are going to go down’ wink - Never mind. Give me a minute, I have to get permission for a field trip outside,” said Gabriel, walking out of the room.

Dean followed him.

“Where are you going?”

“Where do you think, the porn shop? I’m going to pay our friend Crowley a visit.”

“I want to go with you.”

“Why?”

“Because Godstiel or whatever is less likely to attack if I’m around and I want to help.”

“Fine,  _fine_ , we’ll see what Kali says, okay?”

And for once, Dean felt like there could be some light at the end of this, that they all weren’t just going to die by the hands of disease or the hands of a madman, whether it be the Leviathan or John Winchester himself. Dean thought that, perhaps if they could save John, well…maybe they could save Cas too.

**_TO BE CONTINUED…_ **


	24. The Fallen

SPN at Hogwarts: The Fallen

Dean sat in the shadows of a giant weeping willow, keeping a wary eyes on his surroundings. The Croatoan Virus had been spreading like wildfire and it was becoming common even in unpopulated areas to come across an infected person. Merlin’s beard, it wasn’t like they hadn’t come across them during their week of traveling. It wasn’t like they hadn’t put a few of them down either.

When Dean closed his eyes, he could remember them. The infected. They were wild. They were untethered to reality. A piece of Dean died when he saw every one of them die. Because it was his fault they were like this. It was all his fault.

He had been traveling around with Gabriel for months, trying to find Professor Crowley. Since Dean had made his deal with the man, Crowley had seemed to disappear into thin air. Gabriel and Dean had visited his home first to find that the place was completely cleared or any trace of the wizard. Dean felt heart broken seeing such a scene. He thought it was the end. He thought that that last crumb of hope he clung onto had all but disappeared along with Crowley. Gabriel merely sighed.

“Guess I’ll have to use a few favors,” said Gabriel.

And that was how Dean had gotten where he was, sitting under a giant weeping willow near dusk, nervously eyeing the area, hoping that the creature using his boyfriend as a meatsuit didn’t find them.

“The informant should be here any moment, Dean-o,” grumbled Gabriel, glancing down at his pocket watch.

Dean let out a labored breath as he stiffly nodded. Gabriel rubbed Dean’s back, something he’d been doing every time Dean seemed stressed. Dean was sure Gabriel was putting up a cool front for him, and it was nice that Gabriel tried to keep Dean calm, but it was hard for Dean to pretend he didn’t see through the guise.

Out of the shadows walked an older, female house-elf. She was shorter than the usual house-elf and shifted around in nervous jitters. Her big brown eyes look worn from stress and something a bit more, her bat-like ears hung sloppily on the sides of her head, and her giant tomato nose sniffed as if she was just about to catch a cold. She seemed pitiful, in a way. A bit too old for this sort of espionage and a bit too small and frail to do anything to protect herself.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

“You Winky?” asked Gabriel.

The house-elf shakily nodded.

“Gabriel?”

Her voice was higher than most house-elves, a bit screechier than what Dean had expected from the elf.

“I didn’t give you nothing,” grumbled the house-elf as she thrusted a frayed looking sheet of paper into Gabriel’s hand, “You hear me? I didn’t give you nothing.”

Dean remembered a rumor he heard a while back during his time at Hogwarts. It was a strange rumor that Dean didn’t think would be true, but this made him wonder. People had said that Crowley had made good friends with the freed house-elves in the castle, that Gavin wasn’t able to get away with anything because Crowley had eyes and ears everywhere. But why would a house-elf loyal to Crowley give away her information?

“I get it, I won’t say anything,” said Gabriel, glancing at the note.

“Just…just make sure that monster doesn’t destroy everything…Dobby gave his life for this world and…and I know he would hate it if I just stood around and did nothing to help.”

Gabriel nodded.

“Dobby would be proud of you,” said Gabriel.

Winky smiled sadly.

“I hope so,” she said, and without another word, she vanished.

Dean blinked.

“Dobby…as in…”

Gabriel nodded.

“She was supposedly friends with him, yeah,” said Gabriel, putting the note in his pocket, “Nice thing to have a guilty house-elf lying around, isn’t it?”

Dean wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Come on, let’s get that Grace,” said Gabriel, placing his hand on Dean’s shoulder.

Dean shivered. He always hated apparating. He always felt queazy afterwards, was always afraid that he’d splinch.

The forest swirled out of existence as they found themselves in a small neighborhood Dean had never been before. It was an abandoned looking and old-fashioned place, probably was one of the wizard pocket communities. They stood in front of the most decrepit house out of the run down house around. It was slanted to one side from years of disarray and its roof was beginning to fall apart. 

Gabriel began to walk towards the house.

“Seriously?” said Dean.

Gabriel merely glanced back at Dean and put his finger on his lips. Dean didn’t know if he really needed to be quiet or Gabriel was just messing with him, but he stayed quiet as they entered the creaking house.

Dean was sure he saw Gabriel cast a silent spell as he heard a yelp from somewhere upstairs.

“Come out, Crowley! We know you’re here and you know I’ll just find you again if you leave!” shouted Gabriel.

For a moment, the room was silent. Dean felt tense. He felt uneasy as creaks began to come closer until Crowley was at the stairs, walking down to the two.

“I should have known you’d be looking for me,” grumbled Crowley, “I should have just looked for the Grace by myself, left you in that cabin.”

A shiver went down Dean’s spine. Dean knew Crowley was telling the truth, he could see it in the man’s eyes. It terrified Dean that there was such a man who would just leave some underage kid in a cabin in dangerous woods for their own petty reasons, especially a man who works so closely to underage kids.

“Good to know that we won’t need to explain why we’re here,” said Gabriel.

“You know, there used to be angels on earth,” said Crowley, glancing out of the broken window, "Creatures that seemed almost godly to people. For a time, they were even revered as gods, if you could imagine that.“

Crowley sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"Wizards don’t like to think any creature could have more magic than themselves, though, and when they learned how to take that away from those creatures…it was the end of them.”

He began to walk into the other room, towards a box Dean recognized.

“Some of them decided the best way to hide would be to take matters into their own hands. To take the gifts they’d had for all of their lives away until people were ready for them. To hide as the ones who hunted them. How far can a god fall? What can the fallen do but try to survive?”

He held the box with care as he walked back to Gabriel.

“Is there a point to all of this?” asked Gabriel callously.

Crowley merely shrugged.

“There are consequences to great power if taken by the wrong people,” said Crowley, “You all understand this, right? You’re not going to let that kid walk into there blind, right?”

Dean had a sinking feeling about all of this.

“Why do you care? You would have let him die in the cabin if you could,” said Gabriel as he grabbed the box from Crowley.

Crowley turned to Dean.

“I never lied, Dean. That’s important. It’s fundamental. I’ve never lied to you and I want you to know this at least…don’t do it. If you have to, it  _has to be a last resort_. This type of power - eats you up whole.”

He seemed so…honest in his plea. As if he could care about a kid he’d leave for dead. Before Dean could say a word to the man, Gabriel had already put his hand on Dean’s shoulder. Crowley disappeared into a scene Dean was sure he’d never see again. They were back in the bunker, in a dimly lit hallway.

“Good work, Dean,” said Gabriel with obviously more on his mind than Dean’s feelings, “I’ll call you when I need you.”

And with that…Dean was left alone.

Dean sat there, gazing at it. The Grace. It was the strangest thing he’d ever seen, yet the most mesmerizing. Dean couldn’t figure out what it was truly made out of. He wondered if he ever would.

It had been weeks since they had gone out to find the grace and they still hadn’t traversed the lands to do anything about John Winchester. Not only had they been in the bunker on lock down, but Dean had been pushed out of all of the important conversations. It was frustrating, to say the least.

Dean closed the box, and slowly placed it into his messenger bag, sneaking out of the room.

Dean had been planning this for a while, really. Leaving this place. Dean couldn’t keep sitting around doing nothing. There were too many things that were his fault. There were too many things he needed to do that only he could do. He had to leave, and he couldn’t let anyone stop him, he wouldn’t let anyone stop him.

Dean walked down the hallways, glancing at every turn. He stopped for a moment.

“I know you’re there, Sammy.”

Slowly, Sam poked his head out from the corner.

“I want to come.”

Dean sighed, walking over to Sam. He patted his younger brother on the head.

“You know what my answer is.”

Sam’s hands became fists.

“But I can fight, Dean. I can do things, I can be helpful.”

Dean shook his head as he silently placed a sleeping spell on Sammy.

“I’m sorry, but not this fight,” whispered Dean as he set him down on the ground gently, “Need you to stay safe.”

Dean stepped over his brother and made a b-line towards the front door.

“Dean?”

Dean knew he should stop. He knew that this was the safest place to be, that the people here probably mean well. He knew he probably shouldn’t piss off Kali. But he wouldn’t stop for her. He had to do this. He had a responsibility to the people who had died because of his mistakes to right the wrongs befallen on the world. To stop John Winchester. To stop the thing that was using Cas as a meatsuit.

“Dean, do not -”

Dean didn’t even look back. He apparated away, leaving Kali’s voice echoing behind in the dark.

Dean stumbled down to the ground, coughing and wheezing. He didn’t have much practice with apparition, nor was he much good at it. He was glad that he hadn’t left a finger behind. However, it didn’t mean he didn’t feel that horrible queasiness he always felt after apparition. The world was spinning around him and he felt light headed, but he at least knew he was somewhere away from the people who kept stopping him from trying to actually  _do something_. All he needed to do was find his father, and he knew at least he was in Godric’s Hollow. From what he’d found in the newspaper about his trajectory, Godric’s Hollow would make the most sense as John’s next accidental target.

Before the world stopped spinning, Dean heard a horrifying screech near by. A guttural yell pierced the silence of the night as Dean heard something stumbling towards him. He closed his eyes, apparating as best as he could. 

Dean felt a pang in his arm as he stumbled down into a field of grass. Dean laid in the grass for a moment as he felt his sleeve become wet with  _something_. Dean took a few minutes to catch his breath as he slowly rolled his leave up. He swore silently as he saw that a chunk of his arm was missing. He had splinched himself. Dean groaned, winching as he rolled his sleeve back down. 

He wondered if it was honestly worth it. He wondered if he could even save his father. He laid there, wondering if he just screwed up yet again.

But he knew he couldn’t just stop, not in the middle of everything. Dean was a lot of things - a screw up, an idiot, just muscle - but he wasn’t a quitter. He was never a quitter.

He thought hard on where he needed to go. Godric’s Hollow. He took a deep breath and hoped for the best. He apparated to the quaint wizarding neighborhood.

Dean fell head first into the woods next to the neighborhood, hurting his neck in the process. Sometimes, Dean wished he had the impala with him. At least he could drive with the impala and not worry as much about losing limbs.

Dean held his head as he gazed into the wizarding neighborhood before him.

Dean never lived in such a neighborhood. When he was young, he lived in a muggle neighborhood with his parents, but it wasn’t like those were his happiest memories. All his memories with his mother were euphoric, yes, but he knew everything wasn’t right with his parents’ marriage, even as a child. He saw the cracks. The fights. The long absences. He was the one to comfort his mother whenever his father left. He understood more than he should have back then.

Still a bit woozy and shaky from all of the apparating, Dean wobbled over to Godric’s Hollow, cautiously gleaning the area for signs of the Croatoan virus. There seemed to be blocked off streets throughout the neighborhood marked with red “C"s. Houses were boarded up with warnings about curses that could be inflicted if the boards were taken away or broken.

Dean felt horrible. This was another town taken by the disease. Another town taken down by something Dean could have stopped.

Dean trekked the endless streets of unknown houses long abandoned and broken windows stained with dried blood. He wondered what it was like in this neighborhood. Wondered if the people of this town were happy before this, were safe. He had heard a while back that the Potters had rebuilt their home here, the one that burned down after Voldemort placed that scar on the famous hero. Dean wondered if they made it out alive. There were rumors that one of their children had died, had caught the horror of the disease, but…who knows what news was real. _The Prophet_ stopped printing for over a month by then.

Dean stopped when he heard footsteps, somewhere in the midst of the empty streets. Dean looked around desperately, trying to gage where the noise was coming from.

It wasn’t an infected one. Dean could just tell, the steps were too calm. Dean didn’t understand why this person was hiding, how the person was hiding.

But then Dean spotted him. From the corner of his eye, Dean could see some  _thing_ walking towards him with a crushing air. Before Dean could turn, before Dean could anything…there was a pang of pain, darkness filling his vision as he found himself falling into unconsciousness.

"I suppose it doesn’t effect the righteous.”

Dean groaned, his head feeling heavy. He opened his blurring eyes, unsure of what was going on. He could feel the ropes on him, tying him down. He could feel something dripping from him. Maybe it was water. Maybe it was blood. He couldn’t see where he was. It was too dark. All he could tell was that he was in some broken down house. Dean knew it had to be one of the ones in the neighborhood. The only things lighting the room were the moonlight and the faint read glows coming from the cracks in a man he knew well, his eyes.

Cracks and ridges were everywhere in John’s skin, painting his skin like a volcanic eruption. Corruption plagued this man, it could be seen in the extreme change in his voice, how he walked, the way he held himself. The John Dean knew was a harsh man, a man with little control. But this was different. There was no wavering. There was no control. This was pure havoc, a release of natural chaos. Dean felt fear encompass his whole being.

“Most people break at the sight of me. They turn insane. They become creatures to kill. Why is it that you are deemed ‘righteous’? What right do you have to claim so?” asked John.

He was wielding a knife, calmly shaving his chin as if this were casual conversation. All Dean could do was stare at the man who was once his father.

“Well?” asked John, giving Dean a dastardly gaze.

It wasn’t so much as the staring that made Dean uncomfortable. It was the eyes. The dead eyes that glowed faintly red. They made Dean’s skin crawl.

“I…I never thought of myself as one,” said Dean quietly.

It was the truth. Maybe a few months ago, Dean would have said he was starting to think he could live up to being someone important, maybe aspire to have a bit of a better life than catching the man who his father wanted dead. However, after everything…Dean wasn’t sure what he deserved. He probably deserved being tied to that chair, scared to death by the thing that was once a man before him.

“Then why is it that you don’t corrupt? Why must I delve more into you than the others if I want to give you an ounce of what I give to the ones around you?” asked John, wiping the knife, then slowly piercing into Dean’s arm, giving the young man a shallow wound at a leisurely pace.

Dean winced, trying to think of something else, anything else.

“Look how far the fallen have come. Darkness is what becomes a man with no relief, I suppose. I haven’t had that in years.”

The knife dug deeper. Dean squirmed.

“However, what is relief to release? Why take the short run approach to the matter, the impermanent, when one can take a more long run approach? Release is key. Pent up stress, pent up guilt, pent up remorse and sadness…it can all feel so light once justice is served.”

The knife dug even deeper. Dean didn’t let some of his pain out, a small whimper he tried to stop.

“Why is it that the one who craves justice the most isn’t the righteous man? Huh, Dean? Why is that?”

For a moment, John stood there, the knife still in Dean’s arm. Dean cringed.

“WHY?”

John let the knife fall to the ground, stepping away from Dean as he glanced outside.

“I…I don’t know,” said Dean, mortified as he tried to find a way to get out of the chair.

First the ropes, then fleeing, and if there’s a way, stitching up the wound. he could felt the blood flow in small pools at the legs of the chair.

“And here comes the _angel_ , the god of some  _cult_. He was the one who dug into you, wasn’t he? He got to you. He broke everything I built up in you.”

Dean didn’t understand.

“I tried so hard to make you into a good man, Dean, make you someone to be  _proud of_ , but look at what you’ve become, look at  _what you are_.”

John laughed as if Dean was the punch line. It was a bitter and cruel laugh that pained Dean. But it wasn’t the abuse that held him. Anger bubbled out of this pain.

“I became better. I became what I should be able to be, the type of man  _I_ want to be,” Dean said, “Cas may have been the catalyst, but  _I_ am the cause pushing this forward, I am the one who wants to continue to be what I have turned into, whether it’s with Cas if I’m able to save him or another man  _or_ woman I fall in love with in the future.  _I_ get to choose to be the man I want to be, not Castiel, not the school, not some secret society nor public society, not even you. Just me.”

The creature grimaced at him.

“There is no way of saving you, is there? No way to beat this rebelliousness out.”

John walked back to Dean, picking up the blade.

“I suppose this could be too merciful for what has befallen you. Yet…I can’t think of another way to stop this monstrosity I’ve let loose on the world.”

Dean wouldn’t let himself show fear. Dean simply glared at the man.

“Bite me,” were the only words that came to Dean’s mind, and well, Dean felt like he could have thought of some more memorable words if he had taken another minute or two to think.

John’s face was blank. There was resentment somewhere under that mask, though. Something harsh and inhuman. He slowly lifted the blade, placing it on Dean’s throat.

“You’ve grown cheeky, Dean. This is why you should’ve stayed out of school.”

Dean felt the knife pierce shallowly into his neck. However, John didn’t get much farther in. Dean saw John fly through the air as if a speeding train had hit him. The knife fell as Dean gazed at his father, stuck on the wall. Something dropped out of John’s pocket.

The box. The Grace.

“John Winchester,” said a voice now eerie and foreign to Dean, “I wasn’t sure if I’d have to do something about you. I hoped that I wouldn’t have to, but seeing this poor predicament you’ve forced me into…I must acknowledge that you are a threat to Dean Winchester.”

There stood the  _thing_. The meat suit it was wearing, Cas seemed to becoming… _worn_. A bit tattered here and there. Black ooze seeping out of the seems.

It hurt for Dean to gaze at the  _thing_.

“So this is the man who made you turn on the ways you were taught?” said John, laughing whole heartedly, “This is what started your descent?”

The  _thing_ merely grinned.

“I think you’re talking about this shell of mine,” said the creature, walking as if on a catwalk, “Do you like it? The meat fits like a glove, really, it feels wonderful. Or, rather, it will once we seal the deal.”

“You see, this is why I will kill you,” said John, “A monster wearing a boy. There is nothing natural about you.”

“I guess this will be a whole 'pot calling the kettle black’ spiel, now? You’re so passé, John Winchester.”

The thing snapped its fingers, Dean’s ropes falling loose on the ground, Dean’s cuts healed.

“I feel like seeing your father die right before your eyes could breach my contract. Feel free to leave, if you must,” said the Leviathan.

Dean glanced from the thing to his father. He could tell that neither were thinking about the random box he had been carrying around, hell, neither of them cared about the box between them.

Dean stood up slowly, keeping an eye on the two. The thing didn’t seem to care. It began skipping towards the man stuck to the wall.

Dean quickly ducked down, grabbing the box. Before he could think, he opened the box, revealing the bright Grace held inside. Without thinking, he grabbed the grace, and everything went white.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	25. The Cure

SPN at Hogwarts: the Cure

[ ](https://www.tumblr.com/search/misha%20collins%20gif)

Through the black goo that had surrounded his world, Castiel saw a light more beautiful than anything he had ever seen before.

Before this light was darkness. A haze of thick, dim fog that encompassed his sight. Sometimes, there was a glimpse. A splatter of blood. The sound of a breaking neck. The crying of a child. There were days on end that were pitch black, that he didn’t even remember. It was horrifying when he realized that there was a gap in time he’d never get back, and what was worse was that the gaps were becoming longer.

The only thing keeping him from completely falling into the darkness was the thought of protecting Dean. He knew that as long as he still had a consciousness inside his body, the monsters inside him wouldn’t be able to hurt Dean.

The light cleared his vision. For a brief moment in time, all he could see was white. It was horrifying, because for that brief moment, Cas thought he had died. Cas thought he had left his earthly body, left Dean to the monsters that had taken his body as a vessel.

However, the white cleared, and as the black goo began to ooze once more into his vision, he could see more clearly than he could in months. And there, in the middle of that vastly glow…stood the man he tried to protect for months. Dean Winchester.

But he was different.

Wings spread from his back like vast, intimidating shadows. They stretched for what seemed eons, covering the walls of the room. His eyes were not the green Castiel knew. They were white, this bluish white that engulfed the whole eye. His posture was strange, unlike the young man he grew to love. Dean was obviously standing, yet something felt strange - it was as if he was playing walking, playing standing, that he was as light as air.

Something was wrong with him.

And then there was the man standing next to him. John Winchester. Except…it wasn’t John.

Something was completely  _off_ about the man. He seemed more  _veiny_ than Castiel remembered. Or maybe those weren’t veins…They were these  _cracks_ , as if all of John was ground with no water. The cracks…they were…bright and pulsing. Red. Unnatural. They flashed wearily from crimsons to blinding reds, a process that seemed almost volcanic. As if his blood were replaced with lava. And the man's  _eyes_. They were a pure red. Devastatingly monstrous. Castiel wondered how such a self-righteous man sunk so low.

“Another monster? How far will you fall, Dean? How far will you go to become a  _freak_?” growled John.

He clunkily began to stride towards Dean, as if his body was in an early stage of deterioration. Dean simply stared at the man, his face unwavering from indifference, his eyes blinding.

“There will be consequences if you try to kill me again, John Winchester.”

The voice…wasn’t exactly Dean’s voice. There was a deepness to it that wasn’t there before. There was an echo of something more ancient in the background, some undertone of doom that John was not understanding.

“You don’t scare me, Dean!” shouted the insane man as he walked closer to the thing that may or may not be Dean, “You could never scare me! All you are is a child! A problematic child who needs to learn a lesson in breaking the rules!”

What seemed more…more like an  _angel_ than Dean tilted its head.

“I can see so much now. I can see everything. I can feel ever molecule of your being. I don’t understand why you don’t see that you are no match.”

John’s words became more of an animalistic bark, the remaining sanity the man once had disappearing before Castiel’s eyes as John’s body cracked more, moved more stiffly and inhumanly.

Dean held his hands out in front of himself.

“I see there is no reasoning now. This will be the kindness I’ll grace you with.”

Dean placed his hands onto either side of John’s head.

“A kindness you don’t deserve, but will have, nonetheless.”

John squirmed in Dean’s grasp. He tried to flee, tried to get away, but whatever Dean had become was too strong.

“Goodbye, Dad.”

John began to seize, his body deteriorating at a faster rate. His screams were traumatizing as fire began to spew from the cracks on him until he was nothing  _but_ fire. Nothing but ash.

“For the best,” said Dean as if echoing it to himself.

And for a moment, Dean stood there next to the ashes of his father. He didn’t even look down at them. He just stood there, staring into space.

“I had to. Only way to stop the Croatoan Virus.”

Castiel didn’t understand what Dean was doing. Was he talking to himself?

“He wasn’t a man anymore. He was a beast. You have to understand.”

 _Was he talking to himself_? Was…was there something in him?

“You’ll understand. With the information, with all of the information, you’ll have to understand.”

Was this Dean talking to a creature inside of him? Or was it the other way around?

“You have the universe in front of you. It shouldn’t be hard to understand, right? The world makes more sense now. Everything makes sense.”

Dean’s eyes suddenly turned to Castiel and Castiel could just feel the monsters in control  _cringe_ when they see the angel’s eyes. They were piercing.

“Need to help. With all this knowledge, I need to help.”

Bluish white light began to pour down his cheeks like tears.

“I have to. Before my head explodes. Before it becomes too much. I  _need to help_.”

Castiel could feel his monsters squirm, but with all his might, he forced his body to stay.

“An angel,” scoffed the monsters, “I thought they were long dead. Delicious souls you have, you  _angels_. Yet -  _oh_ …”

He could feel the monsters grin.

“…You're  _not_ a true angel, are you, Dean Winchester?”

Dean’s expression didn’t waver. He walked through his father’s ashes as if they were nothing. He walked towards Castiel.

The monsters laughed.

“Being a ‘Righteous Man’ can only take you so far, Dean. From the looks of it, the Grace is already _breaking you_.”

Dean kept walking towards Castiel.

“I won’t stop until I save Cas. I won’t let the information stop me. I don’t care about the chances, STOP TELLING ME TO STOP!”

There was a burst of emotion within the monotone Dean had had the whole time. Who was Dean  _talking to_?

“You’re going to break before you get to me. Might as well stop before the Grace breaks you completely.”

“You think you will stop me?” asked Dean, “I won’t let this go on any longer. You’ll die with me.  _I am the cure to you_.”

Castiel couldn’t help but  _do something_. And suddenly…he felt some power regained from the monsters within him.

“Don’t do it, D-Dean,” pleaded Cas, feeling the weight of hundreds of Leviathan souls on him, trying to push him back into the depths of subconsciousness, “P-please. Don’t. I did this to  _save_ _you_ , don’t make what I d-did _in vain_.”

Cas felt like crying, but all that came out of his eyes was that  _black ooze_.

Dean stood in front of Castiel, and…smiled. A faint smile that could barely be counted as a smile…but a smile, nonetheless.

“I didn’t ask to be saved. I don’t deserve to be saved. I do  _this_ for you.”

Dean put his hand on Castiel’s cheek and gently stroked it.

A flood of black began to seep out of Castiel, all the goo leaving his vision. He could feel less of a weight pushing on him, less souls inside of him, until finally, there was no more. There was only him. There was only Dean.

“Dean,” Castiel said quietly, his hand slowly moving towards the one on his cheek.

Castiel leaned into the touch, his thumb rubbing circles on the other hand. That faint smile stayed on Dean’s lips.

“Hey, Cas,” whispered Dean.

And for a moment, the world paused. For a moment, even with the stains of black still on his skin and clothes, even with the blinding light that came from Dean’s eyes and tears, Cas thought a bit of heaven was left for the two of them.

But only for a moment.

Dean’ stepped away, the smile fading.

“What’s wrong?” asked Castiel.

Dean retreated another step.

“I can feel  _everything_ , Cas. Everything. I hear all these voices, all these cries. There’s so much pain and happiness and I - I can  _see_ the world. Everything that’s happening and ever happened and ever will happen and every future and - I can’t deal with this.”

Dean held his head.

“Dean.”

Castiel moved towards Dean.

“Dean, we can figure this out.”

Dean shook his head.

“I know too much. I…I can’t do this.”

Cas could see Dean’s new wings flail about as if the muscles in them were spazzing.

“We can do something about this.”

Cas grabbed Dean’s hands.

“We can save you.”

Something in that unfeeling monotone seemed pained as Dean spoke.

“I can’t be saved. You’re going to have to let me go.”

Tears began to spring from Cas’ eyes.

“I - I can’t. I don’t want to let you go. I won’t ever let you go,” he said, holding onto Dean’s hands tighter.

Castiel was shaking. Cas couldn’t let Dean go. He was everything. His family had only taken him in after they learned he could be a vessel to destructive monsters. His first love had betrayed him. All he wanted was for Dean to be safe, to save Dean Winchester from whatever hell he thought he deserved. _  
_

“You can’t save everyone, my friend… though, you try,” said Dean.

He wiped Cas’ tears away.

“I love you, Dean,” Castiel said faintly.

Something was breaking in Castiel. He couldn’t stop crying. He felt nothing. His body wasn’t reacting, he felt in denial, yet…the tears wouldn’t stop.

“I love you, too, Cas,” said Dean in that monotone.

And then…a kiss.

Suddenly, everything began to glow, white enveloping the whole room. It was blinding and something began to surge into Castiel. For a moment, Cas felt as if his body would implode within itself. He felt as if a million ropes were pulling him in completely different directions. He could feel the skin of his back breaking, a horrible pain coming from the two points on his back. Something was growing there. Castiel could feel bones forming, flesh setting in. _What was growing behind him?_

But slowly…the world wasn’t all white. It wasn’t the same, either. Everything…everything was  _sharper_. Castiel could see ever detail in the room, could see colors he never  _dreamed_ were real.

With everything he could see, the only thing that truly mattered was right in front of him.

“…Dean…”

His eyes were more beautiful than before. Kaleidascopic swirls of hues, of ao, fern green, mantis and malachite.

“So beautiful…”

Dean was in awe. Cas could feel a mixture of pain, confusion, relief, love, and horror from Dean, and…Cas somehow  _understood_ this. It didn’t terrify him that he could  _feel_  Dean’s emotions, that it didn't  _surprise_ him that Dean felt those emotions.

“Cas…”

Dean’s voice was cracking. Castiel couldn’t find it in himself to care. There were too many other emotions pushing into him from other people. Too many voices crying out to him from the world. Something was pulling him away from there.

Castiel had the urge for flight.

It felt as if he were watching a new creature as he stared at Dean.

“I have to go,” said Cas.

The call was too strong. He had to answer it. He had to leave.

Dean was about to talk before he began to cough out blood, falling to his knees.

Castiel tilted his head curiously. He knew he should be worried, he just…wasn’t. He felt nothing from this bout of coughing and rain of blood from his loved one.

Castiel pressed his two fingers onto Dean. He felt molecules rearranging, he felt the world around him morph to his will.

When he took the fingers off of Dean’s forehead, he was completely healed.

For a moment, the two just stared at one another.

“Ca -”

Dean disappeared from Castiel’s view.

Dean stood in an abandoned house, all alone. His eyes hurt like nothing else and he could feel dried blood where two gaping holes once were.

Dean didn’t remember much about what had just happened. He remembered a blazing light engulfing him. He remembered that he had to save Cas. He had to stop the fighting.

He remembered his father was there.

Dean looked around in a panic, wondering where the hell his father went. Dean was horrified. His father still had the Mark of Cain. He had already done so much damage, Dean needed to stop him from doing more.

Dean searched everywhere within the barely stable house, but there was no sign of him. All he could tell was that there was a lot more dust in the room he was originally in and he didn’t understand  _why_.

Dean felt wary as he sat down for a moment, feeling his back.

There were two scars on his back, though, they felt more like indents. He didn’t remember  _what_ made these imprints on him or  _why_. All he knew was that something  _happened_ and it was a game changer. Something that ridded the Leviathan from Cas’ body, yet…

Dean held his head. This was what he expected a hangover would feel like…but worse.

Dean didn’t understand. What were those  _things_ coming out of Cas’ body? Were they wings? Was Dean hallucinating, or…had Cas become an  _angel_? And then..then there was Cas  _disappearing_. Just like that.

Where did Cas _go_? How did he leave like that? It wasn’t as if he apparated, it looked nothing like apparation. Those big, shadow-like wings just began flapping and in an instant…he was  _gone_.

Dean heard people stumbling through the door.

“Dean?”

Dean didn’t respond. He just stood there.

“Dean!”

Gabriel ran into Dean’s peripheral vision, worry on his face.

“Come on, kid, talk to me. What happened? How did you get here?”

Dean blinked for a few moments, registering what Gabriel had said.

“I…I came to stop John…and…I…”

Dean winced. Trying to remember what went down just seemed to hurt.

“…I don’t know  _what happened._ ”

“I’m sure Gabriel over here is as surprised as you are,” said a familiar voice, “I know I am.”

In walked Crowley, glancing at Dean with great indifference. All Dean could do was stare.

“Wha…what…?”

Crowley laughed.

“Oh, Dean. You don’t get it, do you?” said Crowley, “You’re supposed to be dead.”

Something began to register. Something about…about Grace.

“Humans aren’t supposed to survive the power of angels. You should have gone up in flames.”

Dean touched the scars on his back once more.  _Wings_. There were wings. He remembered that. And the light. The burning light that was eating him up.

“The Grace…”

Crowley nodded.

“Yeah, I’d like to know where you put it, if that’s all right with you. It’s not like you’re using it at the moment.”

Dean stared blankly at the ground.

“I…I think it’s gone.”

“Gone?” echoed Crowley, annoyance in his tone, “How did you lose  _Grace_?”

Dean closed his eyes, seeing images of Cas just moments before he left. The faint glowing. The wings.

“I…I don’t know…I just…wings…there were wings…and Cas…”

Gabriel’s eyes widened.

“You saw Castiel?” asked Gabriel in a panic.

Dean slowly nodded.

“He…was so beautiful…with his wings…”

For a moment Gabriel just stared at him.

“ _What_?”

Crowley cackled.

“Don’t give him that look, Gabriel,” said Crowley, “He’s not insane. He did something you didn’t expect. He figured out  _how_  angels first lost their powers to the humans around them. There’s a reason angels forbade the idea of  _feelings_.”

Feelings. Dean remembered being ready for death. He remembered being open to sacrificing himself. And then there was a kiss and…

“Cas…”

“What’s curious is that he isn’t around here. I was sure you’d be able to survive for at least an hour before you exploded, but someone who wasn’t considered 'Righteous’, well, I thought a young man like Cas would have been killed in an instant with that sort of power surging through him.”

Dean furrowed his brow.

“What does that mean, then?” asked Dean.

“Makes you wonder,” said Crowley, “They say that people with a certain kind of bloodline can become a vessel that can withstand Grace. That, if there is a some angel ancestry, they themselves could potentially become angels.”

Dean groaned.

“Seriously? First, my boyfriend becomes the vessel of some monsters of mass destruction, and now he’s a friggin'  _angel_? Is it too much to ask the world to just leave us alone and let us finish school?” asked Dean. 

Crowley shrugged.

“Did I ever say life was fair?” asked Crowley.

Gabriel glared at Crowley.

“Dean…what about we get you back to the bunker, let you lie down for a bit. Come on, you don’t look so well,” said Gabriel.

Dean felt like he should be fighting Gabriel, but he was too tired. He simply nodded.

_**TO BE CONTINUED…** _


	26. The End

SPN at Hogwarts: The End

Things were about as normal as Dean had felt they could be, after all that had gone down. Sitting on his heels, he sighed as he glanced up.

The train hadn’t arrived yet.

It had been three weeks since John had disappeared, since Cas flew away, since the Croatoan virus mysteriously vanished from existence. Something in Dean told him he would never see his father again. Something in him thought that was okay.

Slowly but surely, society became civil once more. Martial law digressed back to stasis, people began to leave their houses, and businesses opened up once more. Even the  _Prophet_ began to print again after two weeks.

As everyone began to egress from their hiding places, more and more people were confirmed dead or alive.

Bobby, Ellen, and Jo were confirmed dead by the Ministry. It wasn’t even from the Virus, it was from crossfire by ministry patrols who were trying and failing to fight against the Croatoan infected citizens.

Sam openly cried when he heard the news, and though Dean tried to look strong, he couldn’t help but shed tears. They were family.

They didn’t even get to see the bodies, the three were burned in the Croatoan corpse burnings and placed in a mass grave. The three were buried somewhere outside of Edinburgh. That’s all Dean knew.

When Dean learned he and Sam had inherited Ellen’s bar, Bobby’s house, and everything in them, Dean sold some of the inheritance to pay for tombstones. He hoped that this would at least be good enough for his family.

Garth had survived, as well as Charlie and Auror Mills. Sam must have sprinted when he saw Auror Mills. Dean knew Sam was close to her, and he was glad that at least she survived.

Garth, though alive, had suffered a werewolf attack. Garth hoped that he would still be allowed to attend Hogwarts, but the school board vetoed his application back to school.

After what she had went through, Charlie decided to change her track from ancient runes expert to auror. “I saw a lot those last couple of months,” Charlie had told Dean, “And I’ve decided that I’d rather be the one protecting people, not the one being protected. I want to be like Jody.”

Though many had been confirmed dead or alive, there were still many people who were still missing.

No one knew what had happened to Benny. Auror Mills had searched for him everyday during the chaos, but hadn’t found him. No one even knew what happened to him after Hogwarts became sheer anarchy. Something in the back of Dean’s mind told him that he’d probably never see his best friend again.

Balthazar was nowhere to be found. The last sighting Dean knew of was Balthazar fleeing Hogwarts and apparating away, but nothing else. There were rumors that he was hiding out in France somewhere, touring the countryside, but nothing was concrete.

In fact, most of the Novak-Shurley Clan was nowhere to be found. Hogwarts’ headmaster Chuck Shurley seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Michael Shurley had been seen fleeing the Ministry of Magic along with Uriel Novak. They had all seemed to either have been killed during the “Godstiel"s reign or fled to more Eastern nations like Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic.

Professor Crowley had made a break some time between finding Dean and those past three weeks as well, taking his son Gavin with him. Dean didn’t know why he left, and wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. There was something strange about the man that Dean wasn’t sure he wanted to understand, something cryptic that he felt he shouldn’t understand.

Yet, there Dean was, waiting for the train as if everything was back to normal again, or at least, what he thought normal to others was a year or so ago.

Hogwarts had decided to start up again in September and had invited both Dean and his brother back. It surprised Dean, really. He didn’t think he’d be let back in, what with aiding in causing the almost-apocalypse everyone went through. He still didn’t understand how he was allowed to come back, yet Garth had to be homeschooled just because someone turned him into a werewolf.

"You okay, Dean?”

Dean glanced up at Donna.

He hadn’t seen her in a month. Once the insanity cooled down, she was able to find her parents. Both were alive. In fact, no one she knew well were effected by what had happened. She was very lucky, to say the least.

“I’m…I’m getting there,” said Dean into his hands. as he rubbed his face.

“It looks like your brother is getting better,” Donna said.

He glanced over to see Sammy with his friends. Sam seemed…happier. At least for the moment. Dean had been worried about his brother, Sam had been very quiet those past few weeks.

“That’s good,” Dean said, standing up.

He heard the train coming.

“I can’t believe we’re going to school,” said Dean, “After all of that…we’re still going to school.”

Donna nodded.

“I know,” said Donna, “It feels weird without Bobby John.”

He had been killed during the anarchy. Nobody knew exactly how.

The train stopped in front of the two of them, as it was supposed to. The doors opened like everything was fine. They walked in like life was normal again.

“I’m not sure I can do this,” said Dean, sitting down in a compartment with Donna.

She glanced out the window.

“We can’t just lie around, though,” she said, “We have to at least try to do this. Both of us. We can do this…I… _I_ can do this.”

She was talking as if she had to convince herself. She probably did have to convince herself.

They sat in silence as they watched the scenery pass.

[ ](https://31.media.tumblr.com/9158a3db36f0a8466def53803b16f226/tumblr_n5c1lg3zVq1sqeq3do5_250.gif)

Dean stood in front of the door awkwardly.

It wasn’t his first time at this door, no. Within the past few weeks back at Hogwarts, he had been called in time and time again by the Head of Hufflepuff, Josie Sands. The new Head Master, Gabriel Shurley, had unofficially appointed her the grief counselor, or at least, the grief counselor to Dean. That was what it seemed like, at least.

Dean knew he wasn’t working up to snuff. He knew he wasn’t exactly able to focus well nor was he having that great of a time at school. It just all seemed…so pointless now. After the years with John Winchester, after the Triwizard Tournament, after the months of Godstiel and the Croatoan Virus…it didn’t seem to matter anymore.

Dean knocked as he always did - hesitantly.

“Come in, Dean, sit down,” he heard.

He slowly walked in, faltering when he saw Professor Sands with drink in hand.

“H-hey, Professor,” he said, sitting across from her.

“Have you heard about my sister yet?” asked Josie.

Dean’s heart sank. Josie’s sister, Professor Abaddon Sands, was one of the many missing persons. Dean knew this wasn’t going to be good news.

“She died some time during the chaos,” said the professor, taking a sip of her drink, “Killed by a man. People who were there described the man as cracking with a bizarre mark on him.”

She took another sip.

“He stabbed her to death.”

Dean knew Josie was not close to her sister. There had been a falling out sometime ago, something Dean knew very little about. A man, perhaps, one that sounded vaguely familiar to Dean, but alas, the story was never fully told. All he knew was that though they taught at the same school, Josie and Abaddon never spoke.

“We lose a lot of people in our lifetimes, Dean,” said Josie, pouring herself more, “A lot of people. Especially if you decide to befriend muggles. We live longer, though, I suppose we all can die young easy enough.”

Dean wasn’t sure where she was going with this.

“I know you’ve lost a lot,” she told him, “I know you’ve lost your father. Your surrogate parents. A young woman who you were close to. I know that you lost your lover.”

Dean flinched at the word. Dean wasn’t sure how to feel about it. He knew Cas was out there, he just…he didn’t know what was going on with him, what he was doing,  _why_ he left. He didn’t feel the same without Cas around, and he supposed it was showing.

“We’ve all lost a lot this past year, though, and…and we all have to find closer in what has befallen us.”

She took another sip.

“I know that what’s happened is not  _fair_ , but…it’s just something you have to deal with better, Dean.”

She sighed, putting the glass down and rubbing her head.

“Your teachers have been…worried about your behavior, and…you need to learn a better way to cope.”

It sounded so easy coming from her. Coping. Dean wasn’t sure if he should take this “cope better” speech as an insult or as someone trying to help. How was he supposed to know how to cope when half the people he knew well were dead or missing? How was he supposed to know what to do with any of this?

She grabbed his hand.

“I know it’s hard.  _Trust me_ , I know it’s hard, but if we all pull together, we can find some semblance of coping. You got to lean on more people. You’re keeping everything in, and…you need to just let people listen sometimes.”

Dean laughed a bit, trying not to cry.

“Can I have some of that?” he asked, pointing to the drink.

She laughed heartily.

“No. Just know that you can talk to me whenever you need help, okay?” said Josie.

He nodded.

“I’ll…I’ll keep it in mind,” said Dean, standing up, “Thanks.”

His thanks was genuine. He was…glad that someone cared. Not because others didn’t care, it was just nice that she put herself out there like that.

“Take care of yourself, Dean,” said the professor.

He slowly nodded.

“I’ll try,” said Dean.

[ ](https://38.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcnesqYXZ71qh402go1_500.gif)

“I’m not sure if I can do this anymore, Charlie.”

Dean sat on her bunk bed, staring at the bottom of the other bed. She didn’t put a poster up this year.

She sat quietly, her legs off the side. She wasn’t even looking at Dean.

“I mean…why do I have the right to be here while Garth has to stay at home? Garth…he was turned into a werewolf  _against his will_ , me? I…I started something that could have been the end of the world.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Dean, it was…it was the Novaks and Shurleys, is what I heard,” said Charlie weakly.

“I just…none of this feels  _right_ anymore. I just…I don’t know if I want to  _be_ part of a world that could do  _that_ to someone, create…create monsters where there weren’t,” explained Dean.

She didn’t respond.

“I…I don’t think I  _belong_ here anymore.”

Dean felt honest about this. He didn’t feel like he belonged. Everything felt wrong.

There was a long, quiet pause for a moment.

“So what do you think you’ll do?” asked Charlie quietly.

Dean thought for a moment.

“I don’t know.”

He closed his eyes, trying to think of his options.

“I don’t know  _what_ I’d do.”

“I’m thinking of transferring,” said Charlie.

Dean opened his eyes, glancing over at Charlie. She fiddled with her hands nervously.

“I…I heard that the school in Salem’s pretty calm, so…I think I’m going to transfer there. After this semester.”

Dean slowly nodded.

“Good luck,” said Dean.

“I’m not sure if I’m ever going to come back to England,” blurted Charlie.

Dean hugged her.

“You’re going to do great there, Charlie,” said Dean.

She held his arms tightly.

“You have to visit, okay? Don’t be a stranger when I leave,” said Charlie.

Dean nodded.

“I’ll definitely visit. Better have a new girlfriend by then,” said Dean.

Charlie grinned.

“I’ll have three by the time you visit.”

They sat there for a moment, just holding each other. The future seemed so distant, yet so precarious.

“You don’t seem to be doing well, Dean,” said Donna, “I know you don’t like talking about your feelings or whatever, but…are…you okay?”

Dean sighed. He hadn’t been sleeping well for a while.

“I don’t know, Donna…I just don’t know,” said Dean.

He wasn’t eating much. He needed to shave.

“I just…I know I don’t understand how you’re feeling,” said Donna, “I didn’t lose anyone. I have no one missing. I just…I hope you can get out of this funk.”

Dean laughed.

“It’s a little bit more than a funk,” said Dean.

Donna nodded quickly.

“I know - I didn’t mean - sorry. I just…”

She picked at her nails nervously.

“I just want you to be okay,” said Donna.

“Yeah,” said Dean, “Me too.”

They sat there for a moment.

“I haven’t heard from Sam Wesson in a month,” said Donna, holding her knees, “I keep sending him letters, but…nothing back.”

Dean sat up, turning to Donna.

“He hasn’t been answering?” asked Dean.

Donna shrugged.

“I don’t know how well he’s doing. He could still be in a mess. He could be filing missing persons reports…a lot’s still going on,” said Donna.

Dean rubbed her back.

“I’m sure he’ll send you something soon,” said Dean.

Donna smiled weakly.

“I hope so,” said Donna, “I miss him and…I hope he’s okay.”

“I’m sure he is,” said Dean.

Dean wasn’t sure if Wesson was. Even if he didn’t particularly like the guy, he hoped Wesson would send Donna another letter, at least to explain himself. Bias or not, Dean knew that Wesson at least made Donna happy. He hoped Wesson could keep that up.

Donna stood up.

“I’m going to write another letter,” said Donna.

Dean smiled.

“You go get him, tiger,” said Dean.

She grinned.

“I will.”

[ ](https://33.media.tumblr.com/f5b8dd4bad98a902b5b323f56329ac7c/tumblr_n1g2fk8txR1qdbfy6o3_500.gif)

Dean stood outside of Gordon Walker’s office, pacing. He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe his brother had gotten into a fight. He felt nervous, waiting for him. He hated Gordon. The professor had always given him a weird amount of attention during his defense against the arts class and Dean hated that his brother was in a room alone with the man.

But Dean couldn’t control who was Head of Griffindor House.

The door opened, Sam trudging out.

“Sammy,” Dean said, walking closer as he bent down and inspected his brother, “Sam, you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he? No bruises or anything from the fight, right?”

Sam shook his head.

“Once I knocked the wand out of his hand, I did some of those moves you taught me,” grumbled Sam, “I took him down quick.”

“Why did you do that?” asked Dean, “Why start a fight?”

Sam looked embarrassed.

“I…he read some personal letters,” said Sam.

His face turned red.

“Does my little brother have a girlfriend?” asked Dean, grinning as he nudged him.

Sam rolled his eyes, pushing Dean away.

“Stop it, I just…I didn’t like it, okay. They were important to me, they were  _special_. We’ve lost so much, and I don’t want to lose those letters, you know?” mumbled Sam.

Dean nodded.

“So? She from somewhere else?” asked Dean.

Sam wobbled his head.

“Well, sort of…I’m having trouble figuring out how to write back to her, at the moment. I just…so much has  _happened_. I don’t know how to tell her,” said Sam, his eyes blank.

“Just…”

Dean sighed.

“Just tell her whatever you feel comfortable with. But tell her  _something_. You can’t keep your girlfriend waiting forever,” said Dean.

Sam nodded.

“I get that,” said Sam.

Dean hugged his little brother tightly. He was the last blood relative he had. He loved Sam more than anything.

“Don’t get into anymore fights, though, okay? You can get expelled, and I don’t want that for you. I want you to have a good education,” said Dean.

Sam nodded.

“I promise I won’t,” said Sam.

“Good,” said Dean.

“In the lawn again, Dean-o?”

Dean groaned, closing his eyes and turning away.

“What do you want?” asked Dean.

Gabriel sat down next to Dean and stared at the sky.

“Just checking on you. Seeing how you’re doing,” said Gabriel nonchalantly.

“Haven’t gone crazy yet, if that’s what you mean,” said Dean.

Gabriel nodded.

“Good to know.”

For a moment, they just stared up at the clouds. It felt like the days when Dean used to stare at those clouds with Castiel, but…it wasn’t the same. Nothing was the same.

“Have you heard from my bro?” asked Gabriel.

Dean glared at Gabriel.

“So that’s what you want,” said Dean, “You just want me to be some conduit to your brother, huh? What, you want to use him too?”

Gabriel’s grin became a line.

“No, Dean, I - ”

Dean stood up.

“Well guess what?”

Dean laughed.

“Haven’t seen him since he took the grace from me. Haven’t seen him at all. Happy?”

Gabriel stood up.

“Dean - ”

“Hasn’t sent a letter. Hasn’t checked to see how I am doing. Hell, I don’t even know  _what_ he is anymore.”

“Dean - ”

Dean moved away from Gabriel.

“No. I’m sorry, but…I’m not in the mood to talk about this,” said Dean, walking away.

He left Gabriel there. He tried to leave those thoughts of Cas behind as well, but all they did was linger.

Dean had packed his bags. Everything he owned was now in a duffle bag and all he could do was wonder how he could own so little. He supposed it was from habit.

Dean had made the decision a while back. He was going to leave Hogwarts. He was going to leave what had become of his world behind, or at least, as much as he could. He was going to leave the magical world behind.

It wasn’t as if he was going to abandon his family, though. He wasn’t going to abandon Sam. He wasn’t going to forget about Charlie and Auror Mills and Garth. He just…he needed something different. He needed out of this life. He needed a normalcy and stability the wizarding world never seemed to give him.

He was going to become a mechanic. That was the plan, at least. He knew Bobby owned a shop that  _looked_ like a mechanic shop from the outside. Dean, being the eldest of the two brothers, had full ownership at that moment of both Bobby and Ellen’s land. Dean thought he could turn it into an actual mechanics shop.

So, there he stood, the duffle in front of him.

He was excited about his decision. For the first time in a long time…he felt excited. Happy, even. Something about this decision…just seemed so  _right_.

“Dean.”

Dean’s heart stopped.

He turned around and saw the man he loved.

“Cas,” Dean said in awe, unable to take his eyes off of the man.

Cas closed his eyes.

“It’s so good to hear your voice.”

He opened them once more.

“To see you.”

“Where did you go?”

Dean’s voice cracked.

“I waited for you and waited for you, but Gabriel wouldn’t let me stay in that crumbling house and…where did you go, man?”

Cas became more stoic.

“I…I have responsibilities. I have duties I must complete.”

He glanced away.

“The angels…”

There was a faint grin on Cas’ face.

“…The angels need me. Dean, I feel like I finally  _belong_ somewhere.”

Dean felt broken.

“What about me?” asked Dean, “Don’t you feel like you belong with me?”

Cas stepped closer, getting into Dean’s personal space. He put his hand on Dean’s cheek, rubbing it with his thumb.

“I’ve always felt like I’ve belonged with you,” said Cas, “I knew that the day I met you…well, perhaps not then, truly, but…a curiosity turned into a liking, and a liking…a love.”

Dean leaned into the touch.

“I missed you,” said Dean, tears coming from his eyes, “So much. Nothing feels right here without you. I can’t be here without you.”

Cas just stared into Dean’s eyes.

“I can’t come back,” said Cas, “I’m…I’m needed. I may belong with you, but…I feel like I'm  _normal_ for the first time, these people…I was  _meant_ to be an angel, Dean.”

Dean smiled.

“I always knew you were a weird one,” said Dean.

Cas laughed.

“Sorry.”

Dean shook his head.

“Don’t be,” said Dean, “It’s fine.”

Cas stood even closer.

“Even if I am an angel, I’m…I’m not leaving you behind, either,” said Cas, “I’m going to visit. Whenever I can. Wherever you are. I…just call me and I’ll be there.”

Dean laughed.

“What should I do? Pray to you?” asked Dean.

Cas shrugged. He glanced at Dean’s bags.

“I’m not staying,” said Dean, “It doesn’t feel right.”

“What will you do then?” asked Cas.

Dean shrugged.

“…I think I’m leaving the wizarding world. Most of it, at least. Not you.”

Dean held Cas’ other hand.

“I think I’m going to be a mechanic. Or a rockstar. Whatever happens first, I guess.”

Cas smiled.

“Whatever you choose to do will be wonderful,” said Cas.

Dean hugged Cas.

“Thank you.”

For a moment, they both stood there, hugging one another. Slowly, Cas moved away from the hug.

“I have to go,” said Cas.

Dean nodded.

“Me too,” said Dean.

“I’ll see you again soon,” said Cas, almost pleadingly.

“You better,” said Dean, “I’ll beat the crap out of you if you don’t.”

Cas squinted his eyes, tilting his head. Dean knew that look. Confusion.

“Go, Cas,” said Dean, rolling his eyes, “Just come back to me soon, okay?”

Cas nodded earnestly.

“Always.”

_Fin_.


End file.
